Haunting Me Tonight
by Imaginary Dreams
Summary: The Opera wasn't the ending, but a prelude to a greater beginning. As Shilo navigates GeneCo's and her father's legacy, she finds some secrets were buried for a reason. Rated M for Adult content, language, and mature situations.
1. The Elite

**Haunting Me Tonight**

_She had survived that night. A night that had taken much from her- her father. Her sense of the world- the world she'd been denied access to for years. Now all was open._

**2 Months Later**

"Ms. Wallace, the contract is quite simple. We know that your father had knowledge of GeneCo's inner working because ff his relationship with my father. In order for GeneCo to make a fully realized transformation regarding organ repossession, we need access to the files," The dark haired woman with blue eyes said, pushing a sheaf of paper to the young woman across the table.

Shilo picked it up and thumbed through it, looking carefully over the implications.

In the past 2 months, Shilo had transformed. In more ways than one.

Physically, after stopping her medication, she seemed to have grown into a young woman, no longer looking as she had before the Opera. Her body had filled out and her hair- it was an amazing tranformation. It had grown out to her chin, framing her face in violet-black body had awoken from a long, medically induced coma.

Mentally, she had grown. After the Opera, she knew she wanted to keep Amber to her promise of changing GeneCo's organ repossession. The thick files in her father's workshop could do so.

Carefully flipping through the pages, she looked to see if there was a way Amber could weasel her way out of the deal.

"What's the catch, Amber?" Shilo said, leaning back in the chair and accepting the coffee Amber had offered.

Amber gave a small smile. "I knew my father saw something in you, Kid."

For a brief second, Shilo felt her heart skip a beat.

_He _had called her Kid. For some reason, it left an ache in her throat.

Amber noticed and was concerned. "Are you all right?" she asked.

Shilo quickly recovered. "Yeah. Coffee went down the wrong way, heh."

Amber nodded.

"Here's the deal, Shilo. I know it's only been 2 months, but my dad…well. He sorta knew what was coming. It's taken a long time to go through his files and papers, and we've found some unsettling things. As the CEO, I have to put the company first. I want to improve our image and the things I've found from my dad…not very good P.R."

Shilh nodded her on.

"Running this company helped me get off 'Z. Fuck, you saw how bad I was. So I owe the company, simple as that. My dad wasn't all bad; he did want to make the world a better place. But…after your mom left him, he changed. He became vindictive. He wanted to hurt as he'd been hurt, so he figured take away what you give."

"The Repos…" Shilo whispered.

"Exactly. Your dad was one of the first he recruited to be a Repo Man. But, as it turns out, your dad was part of the Elite Group. We could find them, but only with your help, Shilo."

Shilo tilted her head back and thought.

The past two months had been a blur- cleaning out her father's workshop and finding those files. Absorbing the horrors he'd committed. "Amber, I need to think. Some of these files are locked- I can't find the code to open them. Give me some time, please."

Amber nodded. Her mind, which had been 2 months free of 'Z, was remarkably clever. She clicked her intercom as her two escorts entered.

"Take Shilo home, please," she said, turning open another stack of files on her desk.

"It's fine, I can get home.""You sure?" Amber asked, momentarily looking up.

Shiloh nodded and said good-bye.

* * *

As she walked home, she thought.

So far, Amber had made good on her promises regarding GeneCo. Payment plans were altered to allow lee-way for certain cases. Case more than 6 months in default were still taken care of my repossession, still taken care of gruesomely.

Progress was slow.

The sky had darkened and Shiloh stopped when she saw where she was.

Zydrate Addicts Anonymous.

She looked around, seeing women still checked out on 'Z. Seeing dealers peddle 'the cure'.

She looked but didn't see him.

Steeling herself against tears, she turned and left the alleyway.

"Where you goin' cutie pie?" she heard a voice slur.

Shiloh turned and saw a man- obviously a 'Z addict. Behind him were two others, looking at her up and down, making crude noises.

"Anywhere but here," Shiloh said, summoning false courage and walking away.

The one who'd addressed her, his cheeks having zippers on them, grabbed her arm.

"Nah, see. It don't work like that here, cutie pie," he said, turning her around, pushing her back to his friends.

Her heart began to pound in her ears, fear coursing through her veins. She looked around, and saw no one there to help.

"All alone, babe. What, you think you're too good for us?" He sneered as his friends laughed.

They began to push her in the circle, grabbing her body and releasing her to the next.

As one of them made to grab her, she ran, but to no avail. Even a 17 year old girl is no match for the perversions of addicts.

One made a jump and she landed on her stomach, sharp breaths of pain covering their laughter.

"Let's see how good you are, bitch," the zippered addict said

With that, came a fist, then came darkness.

* * *

Shiloh woke up, screaming and clawing thin air.

"Kid! Kid! Chill out, relax!" a familiar voice said, grabbing her wrists and holding them gently.

She opened her eyes and saw him.

"Graverobber…" she whispered, tears starting to fall.

He released her wrists and she collapsed against him, crying and shaking.

"Shh…it's okay. You're safe. You're home. You're okay, kid," he whispered, stroking her hair.

After her tears stopped, he eased her away from him.

"Now, what the fuck were you doing there?"

"I…I was…I was looking for you."

He chuckled and stood up.

"Can't find someone who doesn't want to be found, Kid," he said, walking away.

"Wait! Wha- what happened? Where are you going?" she cried.

"I'll tell you later. Sleep now, I'm still going to be here when you wake up.

Graverobber closed the door softly and she heard him take a seat outside of her door.

After breathing a few minutes, she lay back down, all fear leaving her as she closed her eyes.

He was back.


	2. Nightmares and Screams

_Apologies are in order for the grammatical errors! Sorry, it was late at night and I started writing. Anyhow…Chapter 2..._

Her dreams were nightmares- wolves in the clothing of sheep. The bodies she saw would start out alive, breathing and laughing against skies of blue and green grass. Slowly, they would die, their flesh ripped open by the knives of the Repo Men. Organ, blood, and bodies would turn the green grass to crimson; the blue sky would turn dark, raining blood as if mourning the losses. The loss of life, even in her nightmares, was something to be mourned.

Shilo woke from her nightmare, tears streaming down her face. She brought her knees to her chest and hugged the, attempting to sooth herself.

"_It's ok…it's ok…it's ok…"_

Over and over, Shilo repeated her mantra, but her cries grew louder.

She heard her door open and the Graverobber came in, walking briskly to her bed and taking her in his arms.

"Y'know, Kid, self-reassurance never works. Not in this world, at least," he said, stroking her gave a small smile and looked at him, studying his face.

"What? No bodies out tonight?" She said, half-kidding. The Graverobber smiled and gave a small chuckle."No, there were plenty. Still are. But, for some reason, there was this girl. Last night, apparently she came looking for me, but ran into some junkies with zippers in their cheeks and sub dermal implants on their foreheads. Silly me just _had_ to pull a Galahad and rescue this damsel-in-distress." the Graverobber said in a chiding tone.

Shilo rolled her eyes and pulled away from him."I'm a big girl, I can handle myself.""Kid, you were a fish out of water."

"Whatever," Shilo said, getting out of the bed. She walked over to her mirror and began brushing her hair, sneaking glances at the Graverobber.

"I thought you weren't into changing your appearance," he said, watching her brush her short hair in measured strokes.

"I'm not. Believe it or not, this is my natural hair color," Shilo said, smiling. She had remembered staring at her wigs with anger and resentment in her eyes, believing those synthetic fibers would be the only hair she'd ever grow. Her smile grew even larger when she recalled the smell of those fibers burning, along with her 'medicine'.

The Graverobber stood up and picked up a lock of her hair, rubbing it between his fingers. Shilo felt her heart skip a beat.

Graverobber felt the texture, the sensations in his fingers reaching to his heart. His breath caught and he coughed quickly to cover it up.

"Nice."

"Is that all you can say?" Shilo asked, putting her brush down on her dresser as she turned to face him.

Graverobber looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. This wasn't the scared, young girl he'd encountered in the graveyard all those weeks ago. Then again, she had to do a lot of growing up in the span of a day- a lot more than most people have ever done or ever will. Maybe that was one of the things that had drawn him to her- an unseen force of courage and strength for someone so young, so sheltered.

"What have you been up to?" he asked.

"It's…it's been tough. But…I'm doing all right. There's a lot going on…so much I don't know. So much I need to know."

"Like what?"

"I'm working on a deal with Amber."

"Hah. And who said you didn't have a sense of humor?"

"I am."

Graverobber looked at her and saw determination in her eyes.

"What sort of deal?" he asked, leaning against the post of the bed, crossing his arms.

Shilo scoffed. "Nothing that would interest you."

"You'd be amazed at what interests me, Kid."

Shilo thought, leaning back against the dresser, matching his pose with one of her she tell him? Hell, could she _trust_ him with this?

_So much to learn…_

"I'm helping her…well, GeneCo. With stopping the repossessions…some of them at least."

Graverobber laughed.

"What?"

"God, Kid. You're such a dreamer. It'd be cute if it wasn't so fucking naïve. Tell me, what does Ms. Amber Sweet need to stop them?"

"Files. Names."

"I see."

"You really don't believe that I can do this, do you?"

"Kid, this isn't about me believing you or in you. It's about you believing in GeneCo and actually believing that they _care._ Jesus fuckin' Christ, Kid."

"No. It's true- they've been stopping. Extending plans- it's been all over the news!" Shilo said, crossing her arms, smugly.

"You believe that shit? Kid, it's something called misdirection. You make them look one way while you're working the scene from behind the curtain."

"I don't believe you."

"You wanna know what the fuck I've been doing the past two months? Yeah, they're altering payment plans- they're changing the dates of the loans, accelerating the repo process."

"You're wrong. They've cut back on repos! Amber told me- any repos being done are done by the Elite. If I give her the files, she can do something."

"You're going to trust that back-alley 'Z whore?"

Shilo was breathing heavily, blinking back tears of rage and frustration, but to no avail. She put her face in her hands and let the tears flow.

She heard the Graverobber groan as he walked towards her, taking her into his arms. Shilo wrapped her arms around him, wanting to be held, wanting to be comforted and assured.

He was holding her, one hand stroking her hair. She could feel him put his cheek on her head. This act made her cry even harder. She was still so young, wanting to believe so many things- the good in people, redemption. But there was still so much she had to learn. So much she had to experience.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you, Kid. It's just…I guess you're not as jaded as I am," Graverobber whispered, inhaling the scent of her hair, relishing the scent of innocence and strawberries. She was still so trusting…especially in the wrong people for the wrong reasons.

"Just hold me, please," Shilo whispered.

Graverobber nodded, thinking.

"_She's too trusting…especially in the wrong people."_


	3. Gilded Cages and Glass Coffins

"_Mamma, this is good, no?" the 5 year old Carmela asked, holding her mother's hand as her father revealed his plans._

"_Mr. Largo! Over here!" a voice called. Carmela turned behind her and saw a pretty woman, long dark hair and dark eyes._

"_Yes, Ms…""Cover. Marni Cover," the woman said, taking out a pen and her notepad. As she looked down at her notes, she saw Carmela._

_Carmela smiled and waved shyly, while Marni smiled and winked._

"_As the successor to GeneCo, do you intend to alter the payment plans in anyway to benefit the public?"_

_Rotti Largo looked over the young reporter, assessing her and her motives._

_Since the deaths of his older brothers, young Rotti was now the heir and the controller of GeneCo. Since 2006, the policy regarding repossessions had not changed at all. But, this was a new dawn- a new era. _

_It had been years since the epidemic. Society had recovered, more or less. New developments in medicine and science had reached a point to where if another epidemic were to happen, it could simply be eradicated with a moment of thinking, Rotti cleared his throat and spoke._

"_As a matter of fact, Ms. Cover, yes. After reviewing policies of the previous administrations, we believe that the policies are now obsolete in this time. Look around you- the epidemic is over. The sun is shining and light pierces the clouds. Death is no longer all around us as it was. There is hope. There is a future."_

_A thunderous applause started, young Carmela grinning and clapping as loud as she could. She looked up at her mother and to her surprise, saw tears filling her eyes._

"_Mamma, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"_

"Tutte le strade ad inferno sono pavimentate con le buone intenzioni, il mio piccolo passero."

"_Mommy?"_

_Carmela watched as her mother wiped her eyes. "Nothing is wrong, my little sparrow. Nothing is wrong. Come, let's find your brothers."_

* * *

Amber woke up with a start. She could still smell the scent of that day. The scent of her mother's perfume.

Memories. All memories were poison to her, creeping through her veins to her heart and mind.

The past months had been consuming. Draining. She walked to her dresser across the room, rummaging through the through them, she found loaded the cartridge into the gun and pressed it against her thigh.

Amber had spent her childhood being naïve. Being blind.  
She wasn't going to allow it to rule her anymore.

She pressed the trigger and felt the Glow fill her veins, eradicating her memories.

She remained lucid enough to put the gun back in the drawer when she saw the picture of her and her family when she was 5. At the press conference.

"Tutte le strade ad inferno sono pavimentate con le buone intenzioni, il mio piccolo passero," Amber whispered, running her fingers over her mother's face.

All roads to Hell are paved with good intentions, my little sparrow.  
_Yes they are, Mamma. But I'll fix it. I'll fix it._

* * *

Shilo woke up, stretching her muscles and limbs. She rolled over and saw that the Graverobber was sleeping, taking deep, even smiled softly, wanting to feel how his skin felt. She could see uneven stubble. She could see faint lines around his mouth.

Slowly, Shilo placed her hand gently on his cheek, stroking his face, feeling the warmth of his skin on her palm.

She closed her eyes, relishing in the feel, the contact of someone.

When she opened her eyes, she saw the Graverobber watching her, a slight smirk on his lips.

"Is this how you greet your overnight guests, Kid?"

"You're the first one," Shilo said, taking her hand away. She sat up and got out of her bed, walking to the door.

"What's up?" Graverobber said, sitting up himself.

"Nothing. I just need to do some things, like getting you a clean pair of clothes, get you a shower. All that good stuff."

Graverobber raised an eyebrow.

"But hey, if you'd rather smell like corpses and wear ratty clothes, be my guest."

"Touché, Kid," the Graverobber said, getting off the bed and following Shilo into a room across the hall.

He followed her into what he assumed was her father's room, slightly surprised. Most people he'd known, after losing a loved one, kept their rooms frozen in a time, a memorial to the dead. But this wasn't the case with Shilo.

The room was tidily organized. The bed was made, doors were closed, and he noticed a computer against the wall.

"Was your dad always a tidy person?" he asked, wandering to the computer. He turned and saw Shilo rummaging through a walk-in closet, hearing hangers clatter and the ruffle of fabric.

"Pflbt. No. Since he died, I just…heh. I just wanted to try to keep the house clean. Keep some semblance of control over my life. In a way…I'm kind of lucky. Odd as it sounds. Turns out all his repos paid off this house, and make monthly deposits for bills. I needed to find something to keep me busy and cleaning became one."

"Along with trying to find his files?"

"That too. Here," Shilo said walking out of the closet with an armful of clothes.

Graverobber walked towards her, gracefully running his finger over the desk with the computer on it.

He let out a low whistle.

"These all your dad's?" he asked, assessing the clothing.

"Were. They've been washed and cleaned, so don't worry about it. They should fit," Shilo said. She stood back and leaned against a wardrobe.

Graverobber had his back turned and thought she'd left the room. He stretched his arms, rolling his shoulders, as he began to unbuckle the straps around his shirt. He put the straps on the bed and began to unbutton the front of his shirt.

Shilo's breathing increased slowly, her heart pounding through every vein and limb of her body. She watched with fascination as he took of his shirt.

She gasped softly as she noticed the scars on his back. As quietly as she could, she walked up behind him and gently put her fingertips on one of the scars.

Before she could even think, she felt an arm grab her wrist and flip her on the bed, Graverobber staring at her, holding her hands above her head.

"Jesus, Kid. That's a pretty good fucking way to get hurt," he said, but not moving to get off from her, not moving his hands from her wrists.

Shilo breathed heavily, blinking quickly in shock and surprise. She looked into his eyes as she felt his thumbs gently begin to stroke her wrists.

"Wh…what happened?" she asked softly.

"You don't get into a business like mine without getting a few scars."

Shilo nodded, turning her head away.

"Now what's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just that…just thought of something stupid."

"Really? About…what? May I ask?"

"Stuff," Shilo said, her face still turned away. She could feel tears starting. She blinked her eyes a few times and swallowed, fighting the urge to cry.

She turned back to face him and smiled.

"I think you need to shower still," Shilo whispered, gently moving her arms from his hands.

Graverobber lifted up, allowing her to leave the room.

"The bathroom is the first door on your right. Take as long as you need," she said, walking away and down the stairs.

Graverobber looked after her, thinking.

"_You're gonna be the death of me, Kid. One way or another."_

* * *

Amber walked into the office, looking over files from upcoming repos. She knew she'd have to do -something- after meeting with Shilo. All she had to do was play nice until she could get those files.

After making a few 'corrections', Amber walked to a small door, slightly hidden by curtains. She punched in a code on the keypad and entered the room.

The smell was the first thing to hit her. A smell of loss and anger, a smell of broken promises and wrongly placed trust.

Amber walked to the glass coffins in the center of the room, feeling tears come to her eyes.

Steeling herself with a deep breath, she placed two flowers on each coffin. A white lily and a black carnation.

"It'll be just like we promised, Mamma," Amber whispered through her tears.

* * *

Graverobber had his hands against the wall, feeling the warm water run over his back. Trying to let the water wash away his guilt.

But guilt is one of many things that a shower can never cure. Guilt, once it touches you, spreads through your veins; a black poison infecting you, infecting all you come into contact with- tainting them, polluting them. It becomes a stain on your soul. An infection.

He shut off the water and picked up the towel from the stand, wrapping it around his waist. He walked out of the bathroom slowly, straining his ears for any indication of Shilo.

Nothing. He had time.

He walked over to the desk where the computer was, turning it on and sitting on the chair. He waited as the computer booted up to a log in screen, Nathan's name the only one appearing.

Graverobber closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. After pressing a few keys, he entered the password and felt relief as the welcome screen booted up, icons and toolbars lining the screens.

It had been years since he'd even touched a computer, but it was like riding a bike- you never forget. He began to search through files, combing through various pages of junk.

"What are you doing?" he heard Shilo ask.

He jumped in his seat, startled by the sudden appearance. Damn Kid was like a fucking shadow.

"Nothing," he said, deftly cancelling out the pages and files he had been searching through. "It's just been a long time since I've seen one of these."

"How'd you get in without the password?" Shilo asked, putting a plate of food on the desk.

"You left the password written down on a note," moving a small piece of paper towards her.

Shilo smiled.

"Dumb move. I never have company, and I get careless, I guess," she said.

"You need to be careful, Kid," Graverobber said, turning away from her and picking up his fork.

Shilo scoffed and turned away as her wrist watch began to glow.

_"Incoming call from Amber Sweet."_

Graverobber groaned audilby as Shilo shot him a dirty look She pressed a button and heard Amber's voice.

_"Hello, Shilo. When you get the chance, I'd like you to stop by GeneCo's offices later today. I have something I need to discuss with you."_

Shilo sighed and pressed a button, ending the call.

"I take it you have more pressing matters to attend to," Graverobber said, his voice echoing frustration.

Shilo glared at him.

"You- you just don't get it. Period. You don't even -care-. All you do is shoot up back alley whores and sluts, steal from the dead. Whatever gets you your credit, I suppose. But listen to me- I have a chance to change something and I am going to take it. I'm not the same person I was- I'm stronger. I'm not as innocent as I was and certainly not as naive," Shilo said.

"Kid, you're still in a fucking gilded cage. A princess in an ivory tower. The Lady Of Shallot. You've spent 17 years in a room, a television and telescope your only access to the outside. You think the world works one way when it doesn't. Far from it."

Graverobber chuckled as he stood up.

"You have fun with that, you have fun in your pretty illusion. Let me know when you decide to see reality."

With that, he left the room, going to the bathroom to dress.

Shilo scoffed and rolled her eyes. She turned out of the room, her mind racing.

* * *

__  
She went to her bedroom, putting her hands on a table, feeling the edges of the wood cut into her palms. She could feel anger and frustration boiling her blood. without even thinking, she turned around and walked back into her father's room, where Graverobber was lacing up his boots.

"You think I don't understand? Let me tell you something. I understand a lot more than you fucking think. I know what this reality is- cruel. Cold. Calculating. I've lived with that reality for 17 god damn years with a father controlling every single aspect of my life. Trying to keep me frozen in time like a corpse. I have a chance now to make my life mine. And I'm going to do it the way I want to, without your approval."

Graverobber sighed, putting his feet down with an audible 'thump'. He stood up and sighed heavily.

"So. You think you've seen it all? You think it'll only get better from here on out now that Daddy Dearest is dead? Bull fucking shit. You know what? Screw it. You're coming with me- you need to see something. Ms. Sweet is going to have to wait for her precious meeting."

With that, Graverobber picked Shilo up and threw her over his shoulder, dismissing her hands on his back as a piece of granite does a fly.

It was time for her gilded cage to get washed away and reveal the ugliness of the world.

Their world.


	4. The Lost, The Forgotten

For the past twenty minutes, Shilo had been carried over Graverobber's shoulder. She had given up on punching and kicking a while ago. She had one arm down his back and her other arm holding up her head. She was slightly surprised that he'd been able to carry her as long as he had, all while evading 'Z addicts and the occasional GeneCo cops. If she wasn't so angry and frustrated with him, she probably would have been laughing.

Without a warning, she felt his hands on her waist as he hoisted her down from his shoulders.

"It's about time! Jesus, Graverobber," Shilo heard a voice from behind them.

Shilo turned around and gasped. She saw a woman, who once, might have been beautiful. Perhaps a long time , whatever beauty that might have been there had been replaced. Shilo bit her lip and tried to fight back tears- tears of horror, fear, and pity.

The woman had a long, jagged gash across her face, from her left temple to her right ear. Her eyes seemed sunken into the sockets, giving her the appearance of emptiness- a wraith of the night, a ghost in the allies. The woman had her hair stylized in a tall Mohawk, which emphasized the scars on her scalp- criss-crossed scars, differing in length and thickness. Shilo began to look down her body, sickeningly enraptured with the patterns of scars on the woman's body. The woman's cropped top revealed even more scars and it seemed like she'd had some ribs removed. Shilo was afraid. Was this woman -that- addicted to surgery?

"Yo, who's the kid? Isn't that…what's-her-face? Sioban?" the woman asked, lighting a cigarette and briefly illuminating the dark alley they were in.

"Her name is Shilo. Sorry, Tarja. I'd have been here sooner, but the place is still filled with GeneCo's favorite employees," Graverobber said, keeping a hand on Shilo's arm, wanting her to look over the woman.

"Ok. Well, you need to come now. It's gotten worse for some of these people and they're not as tough as I am," Tarja said, flicking her cigarette against a garbage can. She began to walk and Graverobber dragged Shilo behind him.

"What happened to her? All those surgeries?" Shilo whispered fearfully.

"No. Not surgeries. Tarja's not a scalpel slut or a junkie."

"Then what happened to her?" Shilo asked.

"You'll see. Believe me, you're going to see a lot more than you'd ever imagine."

* * *

"That fucking kid is late," Amber said, throwing papers to the floor."  
"Relax, sister. This kid, she's been…how you say it? Through Hell?" Pavi said from behind her, his mirror placed on the desk, still allowing him to see his reflection from a different angle.  
"You know how it is, sister. Remember when we were young?"  
"Pavi, shut the fuck up right now. I don't give a damn. Believe me- we've been through worse but we still knew to be on time when we were called," Amber said disgustingly. Amber began to pace, her freshly sharpened nails digging into her palms.

Pavi noticed this and made his way to Amber, taking her hands and holding them to her sides.

"Sister, what is wrong? I have not seen you like this in a long time."

Amber shook her hands free and walked to the window.

"Paviche," Amber said, her accent returning to soft Italian she had long tried to forget. "Paviche…do you remember when you were 13 and I was 5? That day when Mamma cried at the press conference?"

"Sister, yes. That is a day not all of us will forget."

"I keep having nightmares about it. Since dad died. Every single fucking night. I still remember every single word she said to me that day. And…I- I just need to keep a promise I made to her. You really don't know. And I don't- I'm not talking about this anymore. Go fuck a Gentern. You haven't done it in a while. Go. Sow whatever oats you have left and leave me the fuck alone, k?" Amber said, her accent disappearing as quickly as it had come. She glared at him until he waited until after the door had closed before running to lock it.

She tried to steady her breath. After several minutes, she could feel her heart beat returning back to normal. Amber wiped her face with the back of her hand and double checked to make sure the door was locked.

Amber went to the hidden room where the glass coffins were, placing her hands on each coffin, offering her silent tribute.

She made her way to a trunk in a corner, dialing in the combination to open it.

She saw the dress she had worn that day at the press conference, when her mother had spent the whole day crying.

Memories hit her slowly, the levee she had spent all night rebuilding burst with the emotional impact of each word she remembered.

* * *

"_Mamma, what did you mean when you said that?" Carmela asked, tugging on her mother's hand as they fought the crowd in search of her brothers._

"_My little sparrow…there is much going on. I promise to you, when we get home, we will talk. Just you and me, si?" her mother said, her face scanning the crowd for her two sons._

_Carmela followed her mother, silently admiring how beautiful her hair was. It was a dark red color, turning almost black when the sunlight hit it. How she prayed every night to look like her mother when she was grown!_

"_Paviche! Luigi! "Prossimo qui voi tutto!" Come here you two! Now!"_

_Carmela and her mother stopped, looking at the two sons. They had been playing again by the mirrors. They turned around and came to their mother. She hugged them both tightly._

"_Come, my loves. We need to wait for your father, and then we can go home."The four sat by the fountain, laughing and making jokes about the events of the day._

_Carmela looked and saw her father still speaking with the pretty reporter. When her mother was telling Luigi and Paviche stories of when she was a child, she wandered to her father and the pretty reporter._

"…_Really Ms. Cover, you couldn't possibly-" Rotti said, his voice being slightly obscured by the din of the crowd._

"_Mr. Largo, I have ethical and professional obligations," Marni Cover said, smiling._

"_Ms. Cover-"_

"_Marni."_

"_Marni. What I mean is that GeneCo would greatly benefit from a sharp mind, as well as a lovely one. Please consider it. My card," Rotti said, handing her a small piece of paper and patting her hand._

_Rotti turned and saw Carmela tugging on her hair._

"_My little sparrow, where is your mother?"_

"_Over by the fountain with Luigi and Paviche."_

"_Well, let's go then. Are you ready to go home?"_

"_Yes, Pappa."_

_Rotti took her hand and walked to the fountains where the rest of his family was, kissing his wife on the cheek._

"_Olivia, let us go now."_

_When they got home, Carmela and her mother, Olivia, went to her room. Olivia sat at her vanity, taking her hair our of its pins._

"_Will I be as pretty as you when I grow up" Carmela asked, sitting on the bed._

_Olivia smiled at her daughter._

"_Yes, my little sparrow. Ever more so," she said. Carmela smiled and went to sit on her mother's lap. She noticed that Olivia was crying again._

"_Why do you keep crying, Mamma? Am I making you sad?""No, no, no, no, my love. Nothing like that." Olivia said, turning her daughter's head to face her._

"_Carmela, you must make me a promise."_

"_What, Mamma?"_

"_Promise me that no matter what, no matter what happens or what is done in the future, always respect your parents."_

"_Yes, Mamma. I promise."_

* * *

Graverobber led Shilo into a small house, Tarja hitting a keypad on the left.

"How bad has it been?" he asked, his hand still on Shilo's arm.

"We got two more overnight. One of them probably won't make it, as young as he is," Tarja said.

Shilo shook her arm away from Graverobber, moving away from him to stand on her own.

"Nuh-huh, Kid. You need to see this," Graverobber said, making a move to grab her arm again.

Shilo shook her head, shaking.

"Man, come on. You're seriously going to let her see this shit that's happening here? I don't think so. I see this day and night and I'd kill for a fucking reprieve," Tarja said, moving to Shilo.

"Tarja. No, don't even think about it. She's coming to see. Consider this a reprieve for tonight," Graverobber said, pushing Tarja aside and grabbing Shilo, ignoring the whimpers of fear.

Graverobber led Shilo up two flights of stairs, briefly stopping to look inside his bag. He nodded and pushed Shilo through a fabric curtain.

The first thing that hit Shilo was the stench of decay. The scent of infection, death. The scent of lost dreams and lost hope.

She had her eyes closed since Graverobber pushed her through the curtain. He could see that and stood behind her.

"Open your eyes, Kid."

"No."

"Why? Why not?"

"I'm scared," she whimpered softly.

"You think you're scared? Open your eyes. Then you'll see what reality you need to be afraid of. I'm not going to ask you again, Kid."  
Shilo took a deep breath, the terrible stench filling her lungs and burning her throat. She opened her eyes.

She could feel Graverobber's hand on her shoulder, gently squeezing it. She didn't know if it was an act of reassurance or a warning not to scream. Shilo began to shake as she surveyed the were bodies all over. Not corpses…yet. Tears clouded her vision, but she could still were children in the room. Their bloody bodies were bandaged, but blood seeped through the gauze layers. She saw adolescents with limbs missing, eyes glazed over in pain.

Graverobber pushed her further into the room, catching her as she almost tripped over soiled clothing and bandages.

"This is the new reality, Kid. Look at them. You want to know something, why Repos aren't being reported as often? These kids were bought or kidnapped, labeled as runaways so GeneCo isn't obligated to report the missing or dead. Some parents offered their kids as collateral when they were getting repo'd, and this is the cost. Genterns shoot them up with street 'Z, then Repo Men come and cut out their organs. The street 'Z, they lace it with something to make them live for a while. None of them live through the night. None of them!" Graverobber yelled, grabbing her wrist and leading her through the curtain to another room. He was almost through the curtain when he felt a small hand grab his shoulder.

"Enough! Let the Kid go and do your fucking job," Tarja said, pulling Shilo away from him. Shilo wrapped her arms around the woman, wanting comfort and reassurance. Her body was shaking as she cried.

Graverobber sighed heavily and made a hesitant step towards Shilo. Tarja shook her head and led Shilo down the stairs.

* * *

"Here. Drink this slowly, it'll help calm your nerves," Tarja said, sitting Shilo down on a chair and handing her a small cup of hot tea.

Shilo was still shaking and ignored the tea. Tarja put the tea down on the table and sat across from Shilo.

"You really don't know what's been happening, do you?" Tarja asked softly.

Shilo shook her head, looking down.

"After the Opera, when Amber took control, things…really changed. She made one face to the public but the reality of the situation is that she's worse than her dad. She's altered payment plans for adults to use their children as collateral. And for some people, she edit's the dates on the default. It's not 90 days like it used to be. It's more like 30. The weird thing is that the dates she changes tend to be women."  
"I started this up, partly as a safe place so these kids can at least die in peace, away from scalpel sluts and addicts. The other reason is so they know that they're still cared for. That they still mean something."

"What does Graverobber do here?" Shilo whispered.

"Holds their hands when they die, before he gives them the final dose. These kids…these people are in so much pain. They'd rather die on their terms than alone in a back alley," Tarja said.

"What happened to you?" Shilo asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Dad was a Repo Man and mom was a Gentern. I was the lab rat. My dad actually worked with yours, oddly enough. Part of the reason why I lived- he was one of the specially trained Repo Men for 'special cases'," Tarja said, a hint of humor in her voice.

"The Elite?" Shilo asked, looking up at Tarja.

Before Tarja could answer, Graverobber came down.

Tarja looked up at him.

"Three are gone," he said stoically, his eyes on Shilo.

"Ok. I'll get some others to bury them tonight," Tarja said, walking out of the room.

Graverobber waited until Tarja's footsteps diminished. When he was sure he and Shilo were alone, he crouched in front of her and put his hands on her cheeks.

"I'm not going to apologize for showing you this. It's something you needed to see, something you needed to know. You've been locked away for so long, you don't know who to trust or what to believe. You want to believe the best in people, and while that is an admirable trait, it's pointless here. Amber has something up her sleeves- all of GeneCo does. I know you want to believe there is some good- that any good can come out of this, but this…it's not going to work out that way. It never does."

Shilo felt tears in her eyes again as she put her hands on Graverobber's.

"Can we go home, now?" she whispered.

Graverobber raised an eyebrow at that sentence."Yeah. Let's go home."

* * *

After what he showed Shilo, he wanted to make it up to her, in his on way. His business was done for the night and he could still feel Shilo's lonliness and sadness beside him.

He decided to take a longer way to her house, wanting to show her something.

"Kid, do you want to see something?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. He couldn't help but noticed how warm her skin felt, even through his coats. He felt a private victory when she put an arm around his waist and leaned her head against him.

"Yeah."

They walked for an hour, to a place Shilo had never seen. It was a small, wooded area, an area that was lit up by-

"Fireflies!" she gasped, running towards the clearing. She stopped short of the glowed area, her eyes lit up by the fireflies and with joy of seeing beauty in such a dark area.

She walked closer to the clearing and laughed with joy when the fireflies landed on her.

Graverobber watched, a small smile on his face. In many ways, she reminded him of fireflies- the way they lit up, they way they explore.

After an hour, Graverobber could feel a change in the atmosphere. He knew it was the city awakening.

"Come on, you little firefly. We need to get back," he said.

Shilo turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him as close as she could.

"Thank you for this," she whispered happily. He put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

They walked off together, the fireflies still dancing in the woods.

* * *

They took the hidden way to get into the house to avoid any Repo Men and GeneCo cops.

Shilo sat down on a couch, relaxing a bit after the long walk.

"Sore, Kid?" Graverobber asked.

"A little. It's been a long night," Shilo said, tilting her head back and closing her eyes. After several minutes, he heard her even breathing, knowing she was sleeping the sleep of the innocent, the untainted. He walked over to the couch and gently picked her up, smiling when he felt her head nuzzle into his chest. He carried her up the stairs and put her in the bed gently, brushing stray hairs out of her face.

He let his palm rest on her cheek gently, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

He couldn't resist.

He leaned slowly to her face and brushed his lips to hers, softly as to not wake her up.

Her lips were softer than anything he'd ever felt before. She tasted of fresh fruits and innocence.

As he backed away quietly, he heard a voice.

"Next time you want to kiss me, how about you make sure I'm more awake than I am now," Shilo said softly.

Graverobber chuckled and walked out of the room, closing the door.

He waited several minutes until he heard her snoring softly. Releasing a pent up breath, he walked to her father's room.

Now that she was asleep, he had business to take care of.


	5. Such A Mournful Sound

Graverobber closed Shilo's door carefully, trying not to wake her up. God knows that was the last thing he needed. Especially right now, when he was so close.

As he walked to Nathan's room, his mind replayed what he'd done.

He _kissed_ her. He actually kissed her. What's worse…he expected nothing in return.

In his world, everything came with a price. Nothing was free. If you wanted something, you got it yourself- you didn't wait for someone to hand it to you on a silver platter.

Graverobber shook his head as he opened the door to Nathan's room. He left it open to listen if Shilo had awoken. He walked over to the computer desk, pulling the chair out and turning it went through the motions, logging in the account and began searching.

After an hour, he found the encrypted files he had been searching for.

All he had to do was enter the access code.

He pondered, his hands poised over the keyboard. In a way, he was surprised that the Kid hadn't figured out the code- she was bright enough. Maybe she just didn't want to know the truth.

After all some things are better left hidden and unspoken. The moment the truth leaves your lips, the words taste bitter and you'd do anything to be able to take them back- especially to save someone from further pain.

Part of him wanted to shut off the computer and crawl back into the bed with Shilo, hold her and fall into the sweet oblivion of sleep.

But this…this needed to be done. For everyone's sake. Secrets are supposed to be buried for a reason.

He entered the access code and found himself looking at the documents of all the repos done by The Elite for the past 17 years.

His heart began to race as he opened another document. He had found one part, but he needed the other half of the equation.

After another hour of searching, he found the files.

_Repossession Agent No. 32089411_

_11 y/o youth. Male. Dark blue eyes, hair color unknown. Both parents Street Zydrate addicts and addicted to surgeries. Offered as payment for Repossession Orders Nos. 1589.32 and 1093.12. Payment plan extended in exchange for the has had a disadvantaged start on life, born to parents who could care less about him. Shows innate skills in combat. Highly intelligent and fast I took the youth, I had a feeling this one would be in the same class as me- an Elite. A member of the highest Repossession Agent order. _

_Training will begin tomorrow at 0800. _

_-Nathan Wallace, Repossession Agent No. 32089410._

Graverobber was taken aback momentarily by the coldness of the report. He had only been referred to as a number, his name forgotten the moment his parents sent him with Nathan Wallace- the first Repo age 11, Repossession Agent No. 32089411 became the second Repo Man.

Graverobber felt his eyes stinging, willing away the tears, disdainfully remembering one of the rules.

"Emotions…feelings are for punks. You have a job to do. Period. You want to live, you do this. The only way to get through this is to be numb. Emotions can't exist here."

The second Nathan put the scalpel in the 11 year old Graverobber's hand, Graverobber was no longer a child. He was a Repo Man.

Graverobber took a deep breath and took out a pen and paper from his bag, writing down the shortcut so he could access the files later. Right now, more than anything, he wanted sleep. He wanted the escape from the world he was living in.

He shut down the computer, making sure to delete the pathways in case Shilo searched again.

Graverobber walked out, closing the door behind him. Crossing the hall, he opened the door to Shilo's room. He smiled when he saw her sleeping form. Taking off his boots and his shirt, he lifted the blanket and eased himself next to Shilo, her back to his front. In her sleep, she wiggled closer to hi, rubbing her body against his.

"_Fuck. She does this again, I'm taking a cold shower and sleeping on the fuckin' floor,"_

Graverobber thought, doing his best to ignore the pressure of his manhood against his pants. He sighed and closed his eyes tightly. Eventually, he fell asleep.

* * *

Shilo opened her eyes gingerly, wanting to go back to sleep. She looked at the small clock on her table and saw that it was almost 8. What was she turning into, a vampire? She tilted her head to the doorway leading to the bathroom. She could hear running water.

Quietly, she stepped out of bed and eased the door open, feeling the warmth of the air from the shower. She looked down and saw Graverobber's dirty clothes on the floor. She walked in to pick the clothes up when she heard the water shut off. Before she could say anything, Graverobber stepped out of the shower, his naked body still dripping.

Graverobber seemed to have his mind on other things, so Shilo took the opportunity to look at his body.

She had seen nude men in medical books and always thought the illustrations to be somewhat ludicrous. Looking at Graverobber naked, there was nothing ludicrous about it.

His body was more muscular than she'd imagined it to be. Her heart raced, her breath quickened as she felt her gaze drift downward from his chest, to his stomach…

She looked up, blushing furiously and saw that Graverobber was looking right at her, smiling with an eyebrow raised.

"I- I heard the water and the clothes need washed and I just I wasn't trying to, I was just," Shilo stammered.

Graverobber laughed as he wrapped a towel around his waist.

"No problems, Kid. Believe me, I'm not shy," he chuckled as he stepped out of the room. Shilo dropped the clothes back on the floor and followed him out of the bathroom.

"Where are you going?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Business calls. I need to do some things before I go to Tarja's tonight."

"Can I come?" Shilo asked, mentally kicking herself for sounding so needy.

"Not tonight," Graverobber said, walking to Nathan's room for clean clothes.

Shilo followed.

"Well…do you think maybe you could take me to Tarja's and then come get me afterwards?"

"You're really afraid of being alone, aren't you, Shilo?" Graverobber asked.

"What do you think?" Shilo asked, turning around and walking back to her room, sitting on the bed with her knees to her chin, her arms wrapped around her legs.

After a few minutes, Graverobber came to her room and sat beside her.

"Are you sure you want to go to Tarja's? Don't expect to just sit downstairs. She's going to make you participate."

Shilo took a breath.

"Well, I can't think of any other way to face this reality. You got any better ideas?" Shilo asked, looking him straight in the eyes.

"Put on some walking shoes and a coat, Kid. I'm not going to carry you this time," Graverobber said.

Within twenty minutes, they were at Tarja's. Graverobber entered the code on the keypad and walked in, a hand on Shilo's back.

Tarja came walking down the stairs, her arms covered in blood. Shilo noticed that there were more people there today.

Tarja walked right by them to the kitchen, turning on the sink on full blast.

Graverobber turned and faced Shilo.

"This, fair lady, is where I must take my leave," Graverobber said, taking her hand and kissing it. Before she could say good-bye, he walked out the door.

Shilo walked to the kitchen and saw Tarja at the sink, scrubbing blood off her arms. She noticed tears running down her face. Shilo stood in the doorway, hesitant at what to do next.

Tarja finally turned off the water and sat at the table, taking deep breaths as she fumbled for a cigarette. Shilo sat next to her. Overcome with compassion, she reached out and put her hands on Tarja's. Tarja looked up and gave a small smile.

"Sorry about this, heh. I usually try to save the mini-breakdowns for the mornings. Wakes me up quicker than coffee."

Shilo smiled.

"What can I do to help?" she asked.

Tarja shook her head. "Kid, no. What Graverobber did last night was outta line and I won't have you seeing that again. Period."

"He told me these kids are alone, Tarja. I know what that's like. Like you said, no one deserves to die alone," Shilo said.

Tarja took a deep breath and looked at Shilo again.

"You sure you want to do this?"

"Yes."

Tarja put out her cigarette and beckoned Shilo to follow her. They walked up two flights of stairs before Tarja stopped and turned to Shilo.

"This kid in here- she's 10. They fucked her up really bad. She isn't going to make the night. I have a doctor here who helps try to figure out what the Hell they're putting in these kids to force them to live after repos. But…this kid is terrified. She knows she's going to die tonight and…just talk to her. Don't talk about dying. Tell her a story. Sing her a song. Hold her hand. Comfort her. Let her know that she isn't a number or a fucking sacrificial lamb. Let her know that she matters," Tarja said, walking off.

Shilo stood outside the door, taking deep breaths. She kept wondering why she offered to do this, then remembered Graverobber saying that she was, essentially, blind. That seemed to give her the resolve she needed.

Shilo opened the door and saw a wisp of a girl lying down on a bed. The linens were soiled with blood, sweat, and tears. For some reason, Shilo imagined emotional stains on the linens- anger. Rage. Frustration. Fear. All emotions she'd felt.

Shilo walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, holding the little girl's hand. The little girl opened her eyes and gave a small smile.

"Hi."

"Hi, sweetie. What's your name?" Shilo asked softly.

"Liana. Who are you? Where's the rainbow man?" she asked softly.

Shilo furrowed her eyebrows, then remembered Liana was probably talking about Graverobber- referencing his hair because she didn't know his name.

"The rainbow man had to go work today. But I'm his friend, Shilo. He asked me to visit with you tonight," Shilo said.

"Oh. He promised he'd finish telling me the story tonight," Liana said sadly.

"What has he told you so far?" Shilo asked, holding the little girl's hand.

"He started telling me a story about a pretty princess who lived in an ivory tower. She was all alone and didn't have a friend, except for the butterflies in the glass cages."

Shilo began to smile, remembering how Graverobber had said she'd lived in an ivory tower. He must've seen her shadowboxes, too- the ones that had butterflies in them.

"What else did he tell you about the princess?" Shilo asked.

"He said that the princess was under a spell that made her sick. But after the King died, she started to get better. He also said that the princess had a comer who liked her."

"Comer? Do you mean commoner?" Shilo asked.

Liana nodded her head and smiled.

"Do you think I could finish the story for you tonight, or at least until the rainbow man comes back to tell you?"

Liana nodded her head and smiled.

Shilo scooted the little girl over and held her as she began telling her the story.

"After the King had died, the princess felt all alone. Even though she started to get better, she felt lonely and sad all the time. Because the King had kept her in the tower for so long, she didn't have any friends, except for the pretty butterflies in the glass cages.""Then, one day, a while after the Kind had died, the princess saw an old friend of hers- a handsome man, one her father would have never liked, simply because he was a commoner. Still, the princess and the commoner began to become close friends, comforting each other when they were sad or lonely.""The more time they spent together, the more the princess could see that she was falling in love with her friend. But she was afraid to tell him."

"Why was she afraid to tell him?" Liana asked.

"I think it was because she was afraid he didn't love her back," Shilo said, leaning her head against Liana's.

"But one day, the friend of the princess took her out of her ivory tower and showed her the world outside of it. He took her to a pretty place where stars were close enough to touch. The commoner looked at the princess as he handed her a bright blue star in the shape of a heart. The commoner told her that he'd given her his heart and all he wanted was hers. They kissed and the princess was happy, knowing that she wasn't alone and that she was loved."

Shilo was silent for a few moments, wondering if Liana had liked her story.

"I liked it. It made me happy," Liana said, looking up at Shilo and smiling. Shilo returned her smile.

"When I grow up, do you think I'll be pretty like you?" Liana asked.

Shilo felt tears start to well up in her eyes, her voice breaking.

"I think you'll be even prettier than me," Shilo whispered.

Liana smiled and leaned against Shilo's shoulder. Shilo held the little girl until her breathing stopped.

Shilo let the tears flow as she rocked the little girl. How could someone do this? How could someone allow this to happen? Shilo's tears turned to sobs.

The door opened and Tarja walked in. Tarja sighed and whispered what sounded like a prayer before she helped Shilo up. Shilo held to Tarja, sobbing as they walked down the stairs.

* * *

Three hour later, Graverobber returned. Tarja greeted him at the door and led him to Shilo, who was sitting at the table, her head in her hands.

Tarja took him aside and explained what had happened. Graverobber looked at Shilo and felt sadness. He should've left her at home. The kid had been through Hell in the past two months and here he was, adding more ugliness to her life.

He walked over to the table and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Do you wanna go home?" he whispered. He saw Shilo nod her head and he helped her out of the chair.

Tarja went to Shilo and hugged her.

"You did really good with Liana, Shilo. It was sweet of you to tell her a story. I'm proud of you, but I don't want you coming back here for a while, ok? This is too much for someone to handle, especially someone who's been through as much as you have. Ok?"

Shilo hugged Tarja and nodded her head.

Graverobber walked next to Shilo, his arm around her shoulders. He felt guilty about letting her go tonight, but proud, in a way. She was trying her best. But he agreed with Tarja. There was no way in Hell he'd take her back there.

* * *

When they reached the house, Graverobber noticed that Shilo had dried blood all over her.

"What happened?" he asked, worried if she'd been hurt.

"Nothing. I held Liana as she was dying and I just got some blood on me, I guess," Shilo mumbled.

"Go to your room and take your clothes off. You need a bath," Graverobber said, leading her up the stairs. He left her in the room as he went to the bathroom, filling the tub with warm water.

Several minutes later, Shilo appeared in the doorway, wearing a robe."I can bathe myself. I'm not a kid," Shilo said, walking in.

"I'm well aware of that, but how else would I be able to enjoy your company?" Graverobber asked.

"Turn around," Shilo said, moving to take off her robe.

"I've seen plenty of naked women in my time, Kid. Believe me. You ain't got nothing I haven't seen before."

Shilo sighed heavily, untying her robe and stepping in the tub.

Graverobber soaked a cloth and began to wash her back. As he was washing, he noticed thin, white scars on her shoulder blades.

He'd suspected what they were, but still found himself asking "What happened here?" as he traced his fingers lightly over her scars.

"Cut myself. After the Opera. It was… a lot to handle. A lot more than I'd ever imagined," she whispered.

"Tilt your head back so I can wash your hair," Graverobber said.

Shilo obliged and relaxed as she felt his fingers massaging her scalp.

"Do you just…ever feel so empty inside?" she asked.

"More than you'd think, Kid."

The next few minutes were held in silence, Graverobber washing Shilo's short hair and washing the blood off her body.

When Shilo was clean, Graverobber handed her the robe and helped her out of the tub. She faced him and felt tears come to her eyes.

"No one should have to die alone," she said as the tears streamed down her face.

Graverobber put his hand on her cheek and softly wiped away her tears.

"She didn't die alone. You were there with her. Til the end."

Graverobber looked at her, searched deep into her eyes. He gently put his other hand on on her cheek and pulled her to him.

Shilo stepped closer to him and put her arms around his neck.

Their lips touched softly, testing the waters.

Shilo pulled back, slightly startled.

Graverobber smirked.

"I don't think you feel empty right now. Your eyes are glowing, Firefly."


	6. Lovely, Dark, and Deep

"_You're delinquent on your payments for the past four months. You and your wife, both," the masked Repo Man said, drawing out his tools. Scalpels, tubing, pliers, and forceps. _

_The couple looked in horror, eyes brimming with tears of pure terror. They struggled, attempting to release themselves from their shackles._

"_Please! Don't! We'll do anything! Please!" the woman cried, struggling against her shackles, writhing against the wall, trying to put as much distance between her and the Repo Man._

"_Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do," the Repo Man said, stepping closer to the woman as he read the file._

"_Take the fucking kid!" the man screamed, pointing his head to a small figure in the background._

_The Repo man turned away from the couple, assessing the small figure in the corner._

"_Stand up," the Repo Man said, eyes on the young man._

_The young man stood up and walked towards the Repo Man, his eyes on the grimy floor below him._

"_Look at me," the Repo Man said._

_The young boy took a deep breath and looked into the Repo Man's eyes. He heard a small gasp from the Repo Man as their eyes met. _

_The young boy's eyes were what terrified him- and terror was a feeling he rarely felt._

_The young boy's eyes were a dark blue, but the color wasn't what the Repo Man feared. It was the emotions hidden behind the eyes- years of pent up anger, rage, frustration, and hatred._

_The Repo man looked at the boy and saw potential._

_He walked to the chained couple and spoke._

"_You have 30 more days for payment. I will no longer grant leniency with this matter."_

_The couple sighed with relief, oblivious to their young son's look of horror._

_The Repo Man unlocked their shackles. As they rubbed their wrists, he injected them with a low does of GeneCo zydrate, causing them to become oblivious to the direction where the Repo Man would take his payment._

_As the couple lay in their drug induced fog, the Repo Man took the young boy by the shoulder and dragged him out of the small house._

_With lightning quick reflexes, the young boy turned on the Repo Man, twisting his arm behind his back and jerking it, nearly breaking it._

_The Repo Man gasped in pain before regaining the upper hand, punching the young boy and watching as he fell into unconsciousness. _

_Yes. This one had potential. _

* * *

Graverobber woke up, a light sweat forming on his brow. He looked around, trying to bring his mind back to the present. He'd thought that the nightmares would have stopped at this point, but no such luck.

He took a deep breath, forcing his mind and senses to focus on the present.

He could hear Shilo breathing could feel her hand on his chest, over his could see the small scars over her shoulders, scars of self-inflicted anger; albeit could smell her shampoo, the scent of lavender and could still taste her kiss.

He smiled as he remembered the kiss.

It had been hours ago, the soft kiss that had awakened feelings in him- feelings he'd never felt before. Feelings of hope. Care. Trust.

Trust.

What was it to him? For years, he'd have to use trust as a tool of the trade- the Repo trade.

His parents were Graverobbers and had taught him the trade. He'd had to learn to manipulate. Even after he became a Repo Man at such a young age, he'd had to use trust as a weapon.

After all, who would expect an 11 year old child as being one of The Elite? Who would expect the young child they found in a corner of an alley as an assassin? As a murderer? No one. Which is why he was so successful for so many years. He could draw victims in with his gaze, he could put on an act so convincing, he could manipulate a saint.

And here he was, A former Elite, a Graverobber, holding in his arms a young woman who knew so little but had been through so much.

Maybe that's why he felt so connected to her, why he was drawn to her for so long.

Wrapping his free arm around Shilo, stroking her hair, he remembered the first time he'd seen her.

He was 25, just a mere 3 years ago. After escaping GeneCo, finally free of the grasp of the Largos, he found himself in the graveyard. He'd reverted back to his behavior of hunting corpses for the precious Zydrate many were addicted to.

He heard leaves and dirt shifting and quickly hid behind a gravestone. After a few moments, his instincts told him it was no GeneCo officer.

He looked behind him and saw a wisp of a girl, black hair that had seemed to glisten and the saddest eyes he'd ever seen.

He watched her for half an hour, smiling when he saw her face light up as she chased bugs over the graveyard.

He could see her loneliness- one thing he'd felt for ages.

* * *

He felt Shilo stir against him, snapping him out of his reverie.

After several minutes of caressing her cheek, her eyes fluttered open.

"Hi," Shilo said, her voice soft with sleep.

"Hello," Graverobber said, moving to kiss the corner of her mouth.

He was surprised when Shilo tilted her face, causing him to kiss her lips. His hand stilled on her cheek in shock, trying to comprehend what she was doing.

Shilo's hands moved to cup his face as Graverobber moved his hands to her back, stroking her spine in small strokes.

This was the third time Shilo had ever kissed anyone, and she felt unsure of what to do next. Graverobber sensed her hesitation and gently pulled her away. Shilo felt afraid.

"Was I doing something wrong?" she asked, inwardly cursing her lack of experience.

"No, you weren't doing anything wrong, babe. I promise," Graverobber said, whispering in her ear as he stroked her hair.

Shilo leaned in to him more, wanting to feel his lips on her again.

"Then why'd you stop?"

"Business calls, Kid. I've got to make my rounds in a bit," Graverobber said, kissing her temple before getting out of the bed.

Shilo was about to speak when she was interrupted by a call.

"_Incoming call from Amber Sweet. Incoming call from Amber Sweet."_

Graverobber groaned loudly before stepping out of the room and slamming the door behind him. Shilo listened for a few minutes before she heard the front door to the house close with another slam.

Fighting back her tears, she answered the call.

"Hello, Shilo. Are you feeling well?" Amber asked.

"Yeah. I've just been….busy lately. I had some trouble with accessing the files," Shilo lied.

"Oh, I see. Well, I know you missed our meeting and I was worried about you. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. But, there's still no leeway with the files, dear?" Amber asked, her voice worried.

"Not yet. I don't even know if it's a number or a word or what."

"Ok. Well. I just…damn. What I'm going to tell you is completely classified, Shilo. I haven't even alerted the press with this because I don't know all the details. But…there were 3 unauthorized Repos after our meeting. My investigators and I believe it's the work of The Elite, and this isn't good, Shilo. That's why I need those files. The individuals who were killed weren't in the system at all- they had no business with GeneCo whatsoever, and this doesn't bode well. For anyone."

"I'll try again tonight, Amber. I promise, I'll let you know what's going on," Shilo said a she disconnected the call.

Shilo sat in silence, going over the conversation with Amber in her mind.

Three Repos….the night after their meeting. The night Shilo went looking for Graverobber. The three addicts…

No. No. No. It was a coincidence. That's all it was.

Graverobber wasn't a murderer.

* * *

Amber looked at the files on her desk, silently thanking whoever had done the Repos those few days ago. It gave her an opening. It gave Shilo an incentive. It was a win-win situation for everyone.

She ran her hands through her hair, leaning back and thinking about her childhood.

The thing she missed most was her mother's nickname for her- my little sparrow. Even the memory brought tears to her . She had to be strong. She had to do this. She needed to keep her promise.

* * *

Tarja sat in the kitchen, smoking cigarettes. It had been another rough night. Five more kids had died.

She had spent months trying to remain as detached as possible, but the last kid who died was the one that got to her.

She held the seven year old, telling her stories and singing her a lullaby. The little girl looked up at her, tears streaming down her face as she asked the question she'd had buried in her throat all those days.

"_Why didn't my mommy and daddy love me?"_

Tarja had almost cried, but held her ground.

"They weren't good people, munchkin. But you know that we love you more," Tarja said, stroking the little girl's head.

She died several minutes later.

The little girl- Tarja didn't get to know her name- struck a chord with her.

Tarja was born to a Repo Man and a Gentern. They had used her for experiments- testing out drugs, new surgical procedures, even going so far as to remove three of her ribs for a new experiment involving skin grafting and cloning.

But she survived. These kids wouldn't.

After experiments with samples, she and several of her doctors had been trying to figure out what was happening to the kids to cause them to live so long after the Repos. She didn't think they were getting any closer.

Her dreams were haunted by angels covered in blood.

The door to the kitchen opened and Graverobber walked in.

Tarja looked up at him as he put down the supply of Zydrate- enough for all the kids for two nights.

"Did you make any credits for yourself?" Tarja asked.

Graverobber nodded and sat down, taking a cigarette from Tarja.

"Made some good deals tonight."

"No scalpel sluts, hopefully."

"Not in that sense, no. All credits tonight."

"Because of Shilo?"

"Maybe. Maybe I just don't want my dick feeling like it's going through a ribbed hula hoop.

"Liar," Tarja laughed.

Graverobber merely shrugged and took a drag off the cigarette.

Tarja studied him. She'd known Graverobber for years, shortly after he became an Elite. He had worked with her father and the two had bonded, becoming friends through their mutual torment.

"You can't keep lying to her, man. She's been through enough and been fucked over enough by too many people- people she thought she could trust. Even by her own father. And she cares for you. I know you've spent your life lying- to protect yourself. But you can't protect her by lying to her," Tarja said.  
She had grown to care for Shilo in the short time she'd known her, but had a glimpse into the younger woman's inner strength when she held Liana as she died.

"Omission is not necessarily lying," Graverobber said.

"Bull fucking shit," Tarja replied, lighting another cigarette.

"It won't be much longer. I just simply need to erase that file set on Nathan's computer. She won't know anything and it won't hurt her."

"Oh? And what about the three 'unauthorized Repos'?"

"What?"

"Look. Word is that those three punks that were killed were U.R. At least, that's the story Amber is planning to feed to the press. But…you and I both know better."

Graverobber was silent, tracing the pattern on the tablecloth.

"Listen. I know you care for her. And I know what seeing her be attacked must have been like. I know that you wanted to protect her and save her, and you did. But you know Amber is going to implicate you. You know this. What are you going to do when Amber tells Shilo everything? What are you going to do when Shilo finds the files? Tell her before Amber does. Tell her before she finds out. You need to do this, for the both of you," Tarja said before walking away.

Graverobber sat at the table, flexing his fists to ward off the anger he was feeling.

He knew how Amber was.

He knew how Shilo was.

He would do whatever he had to do to protect Shilo.

Whatever he had to do.

* * *

Shilo sat at the computer, eyes glazed over from effort and exhaustion.

She had spent three hours on the computer, looking through anything she found. There had to be a clue somewhere.

She tilted her head back and put her hands on her face, feeling hopeless and powerless.

She turned off the computer and called Amber.

"Amber. It's me."

"Hey! Any news?" Amber asked. Shilo could hear paper shuffling.

"Not any news you'd like. Three hours, Amber. I couldn't find anything. I need a rest but I'll try again tomorrow.

"…Ok," Amber said, disappointment in her voice.

Shilo leaned forward in the chair, resting her head on the desk.

"Worthless. Worthless. Worthless," she whispered to herself.

She stood up and walked to her father's dresser, opening the very bottom drawer. She saw the small box and opened it slowly, noticing the light glinting off the scalpel.

The urge was getting stronger as the thoughts got louder.

"_Weak. You can't do anything right. You can't fight. You're worthless. Nothing. You deserve this."_

Shilo went to her father's bathroom and sat on the rim of the tub, looking at her arm- soon to be a painting covered in blood.

Shilo placed the scalpel to her forearm and pressed, watching the blood stain her snow white skin.

She pressed the blade to her arm again, silencing the second voice.

The scalpel dropped to the tiled floor as she leaned back, feeling dazed and weak.

* * *

"What the fuck?"

Shilo opened her eyes and saw Graverobber standing at the door, his eyes focused on the two gashes on her arm.

She felt tears start to fall as she stood up, wanting to go to her room and lock the door.

"Nuh-huh. You are staying right here," Graverobber said, grabbing her by her waist and sitting her on a chair across from the sink.

She made a move to get up, ignoring him.

"Kid, if I have to say it again, I'm tying you up in that fucking chair."

There was no mistaking the anger and frustration in his voice. Shilo sat back down and let the tears flow.

She heard the faucet turn on and looked up to see Graverobber rummaging through the medicine cabinet, pulling out ointment and rolls of gauze.

Graverobber pressed a hot washcloth to her bleeding arm.

"Ow!" Shilo yelped.

Graverobber glared at her and she quieted.

He went through the motions of cleaning her arm, frowning when he saw how deep the cuts were. He went to the cabinet and looked for butterfly stitches, which he finally found.

He cleaned her arm again and taped the cuts together with the butterfly stitches. After securing the cuts, he put ointment on the wounds and bound her arm with gauze.

He stood up and looked down at her, crossing his arms.

"You wanna tell me what the fuck what was about?"

Shilo shook her head, her eyes focused on the floor.

They sat in silence for several minutes before Shilo spoke.

"I can't do anything right," she whispered.

"Are you aware that you are human?" Graverobber asked snidely.

"I jut wanted to help," she cried, sobs heaving her chest.

"You can't save people. You can only love them."

His words made Shilo cry harder. She wanted to tell him everything she was feeling, but he couldn't.

Graverobber walked and picked her up, holding her close. Shilo wrapped her arms around his neck, still crying.

He took her to her bedroom and placed her on the bed, still holding her close.

After an hour, Shilo had lost the energy to cry. The stress of the day and of her actions had weighed her down, and she wanted to feel alive again. She wanted to feel peaceful.

Graverobber gently stroked her hair and began to speak.

_"Whose woods these are I think I know._  
_His house is in the village though;  
He will not see me stopping here  
To watch his woods fill up with snow._

My little horse must think it queer  
To stop without a farmhouse near  
Between the woods and frozen lake  
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake  
To ask if there is some mistake.  
The only other sound's the sweep  
Of easy wind and downy flake.

_The woods are lovely, dark and deep.  
I have promises to keep,  
And miles to go before I sleep,  
And miles to go before I sleep."_

"That's beautiful…" Shilo whispered.

"It's a very old poem. I read it once and memorized it. It was something I never wanted to forget," Graverobber said, still holding her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"I know what it's like to feel hopeless. I really do. But…you can't do that again. I never want to see you do that again and I never want to have to doctor you up like that. Never again, Firefly."

Shilo nodded against his chest, making a silent promise to both of them.

Graverobber sighed, leaning his head to hers and putting his hand on her cheek.

"You're too beautiful to be in so much pain," he whispered, bringing her face to meet his and gently brushing his lips against hers.

Graverobber gently held her back, wanting to take his time with this, wanting to show her the beauty in life and of love.

He gently moved her to her back, mindful of her wounded arm. Shilo's breathing became shallow as Graverobber traced her collarbones with his fingertips, gently kissing her neck.

Shilo put her wounded arm around his waist and her other arm on his head, gently stroking his hair.

Graverobber moved back up to her mouth, gently kissing her while his hands moved to stroke her hips. He felt her moan against his lips, further exciting him.

He could feel himself growing, silently cursing himself. She wasn't ready, but…fuck. He wanted her.

He lightened his kisses and moved his hands upwards, cupping her face and finally, gently breaking the kiss.

"Graverobber?" she whispered, her eyes still closed.

"I need to stop now," he whispered against her lips. He saw her eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"Open your eyes, Firefly."

Shilo opened her eyes and smiled softly, comforted by the term of endearment.

He stroked her cheek and began to speak.

"This is not a rejection. This is so far from a rejection. You have no idea how much I want you. No idea. But you're not ready and this…it's not the right time."

Shilo nodded her head, cupping her hands on Graverobber's face.

"When will it be?" she asked, looking into his eyes.

Graverobber sighed, looking deep into her eyes.

"…_The woods are lovely, dark, and deep," _he thought. How perfectly that poem fit her.

He kissed her softly and murmured against her lips.

"When it's ready, you'll know, Firefly."

* * *

Author's Note:  
The poem Graverobber recites is _Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening _ by Robert Frost.


	7. Foolish Games

_Carmela woke up, feeling a weight next to her own the bed. She looked up and saw her mother._

"_Mamma, what's wrong?" she asked._

"_Mio piccolo passero... My precious little sparrow," Olivia said, tears running down her face as she stroked her daughter's cheek._

"_Mamma?" Carmela said again, sitting up and hugging her mother._

"_My beautiful daughter. My little sparrow. Please, please forgive me," Olivia sobbed into her daughter's hair._

"_Why, mamma?" Carmela asked, afraid._

_Olivia sniffed and held her daughter at arm's length._

"_Listen, my love. I have to go away. I don't know for how long, love. But I must leave. I want nothing more than to bring you and your brothers, but I can not. But I can not stay here anymore, either. There is…so much has happened between your father and I, and I can't live this way anymore, love. It will kill me, and long ago, I promised myself that I would never allow my children to suffer. But if I continue living here, Pappa will hurt me by hurting you and your brothers. This is the only way, Carmela."_

_Carmela gasped and hugged her mother tightly._

"_Mamma! Please don't go. Please don't go. I'll be good, I promise! I'll tell Luigi and Paviche to be good, too. I don't want you to go, Mamma. Please!" she sobbed._

"_Carmela, remember what I made you promise to me earlier?" Olivia asked._

"_Yeah."_

"_I need you to promise me two more things."_

"_What, Mamma?"_

"_That no matter what happens, you will love yourself for who you are and for what God in Heaven made you. You are going to be such a beautiful woman when you grow. The final thing I need from you is your promise that you will look for me when you get older. I need you to find me, okay?" Olivia said, getting up and walking to the door._

_Carmela looked back as her mother walked out of the door and out of her life._

_She fell back in bed, crying until she fell asleep._

* * *

"Pavi, I fucking told you about where the fuck shit is suppose to go! Asshole!" Luigi screamed, throwing a freshly repossessed heart at his younger brother.

The heart hit Pavi's skin graft right on the nose. Ignoring Luigi's yelling, he looked in his mirror and sighed with disgust. He had just put that graft on, too.

"Brother, relax! It was not me! The newest Gentern had merely…placed it there for a moment. She was…occupied elsewhere, haha!" Pavi laughed, grinning lecherously.

"You're a fucking idiot," Luigi said, walking away to the back of the warehouse and running into Amber.

"What the fuck do you want, princess?" Luigi asked.

"Have you gotten any fucking Genterns to do the tests that I asked for yet?" Amber said coldly.

Luigi calmed down for a moment.

"Yes."

"And?"

"Nothing conclusive, Amber."

Amber scowled at him. She turned her back to Luigi, then backhanded him across the face.

"You're fucking worthless!" she screamed before storming out.

She walked to a bathroom, splashing water on her face. One dead end after a- fucking- nother. Fuck.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror and screamed.

It wasn't her face looking back, but her mother's.

"Not again," Amber cried, as she dialed to schedule another surgery, trying to erase the face she saw in the mirror and her nightmares.

* * *

Shilo woke up to an empty bed, her arms still sore from her cuts. She looked at the time and saw it was late, figuring Graverobber had business. Still, the loneliness kicked in. She felt so helpless and dependant.

She sighed as she stood up, stretching. As she walked to the bathroom to clean her arm, she noticed a book on the counter. It was hand bound and looked old. She picked it up for a closer look as a note fell out. Putting the book back on the counter, she picked the note up and unfolded it.

"_I bring you with reverent hands  
The books of my numberless dreams;  
White woman that passion has worn  
As the tide wears the dove-gray sands,  
And with heart more old than the horn  
That is brimmed from the pale fire of time:  
White woman with numberless dreams  
I bring you my passionate rhyme." -  
William Butler Yeats.  
I'll read you a poem or two when I get back, provided I don't have to play doctor again. -Graverobber_

Shilo smiled and put the note back in the book. She leaned back against the bed frame and opened the book.

It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. The paper seemed to have been stained, and she thought how beautiful it was. The words were all hand written, with the name of the poet underneath and their life span.

She read the words slowly, absorbing the beauty and the meaning behind them. All her life, she'd read medical texts and books about insects. Her dad has never allowed her to read anything smiled, touched to the deepest part of her heart. Along with the shadowboxes with butterflies she started getting when she was 14, this was the sweetest thing she'd ever had someone give to her.

She settled deeper into the bed and began to read again.

* * *

Graverobber had finished his peddling for the night. He'd had several offers from scalpel sluts in lieu of credits. He just stared them down until they paid. That was a part of the game he no longer had any interest in.

He was making his way to Tarja's to drop off extra Zydrate for the kids, expertly ducking through alleyways. He stopped short, 3 block away from the safe house before turning to an opposite alley and hiding in a dark doorway. A few minutes later, Graverobber saw a Repo Man.

The Repo Man didn't expect Graverobber to blitz him from behind and knock him down to the ground.

"Move and you're fucking dead," Graverobber said, crouching down with a knife to the Repo Man's throat, his foot on the Repo Man's hand. Graverobber looked to his shoulder and saw that he had been cut deeply.

He ripped off the mask and sighed disgustedly.

"Marco. Lemme guess…trying to work your way up to pet status?"

Marco groaned and tried shift away from the pressure against his throat. Graverobber quickly grabbed Marco's free hand and broke if fluidly.

Marco screamed and began to cry.

"You've obviously forgotten who you're fucking with. Why were you following me? Give me a wrong answer and you're fucking head is going back to GeneCo in a box," Graverobber said, his eyes on the older man.

"Amber. Amber sent me to look for you."

"And why is that?"

"Why the fuck do you think, man?" Marco cried.

Graverobber though for a moment. He knew since he stopped supplying Amber, she'd been losing it. Fuck, she'd been losing it when she turned 16. When he still knew her as Carmela.

"Did she tell you to follow me for another reason," Graverobber asked.

Marco started to shake. He -had- forgotten who he was dealing with. He'd known Graverobber when he became a Repo Man. Marco was there when Graverobber became an Elite.

"She wanted me to follow you to the Kid's house," Marco said, knowing those words had sealed his fate.

Graverobber sighed as he punched Marco, knocking the older man looked through Marco's bag of tricks, finding several vials and syringes. He didn't know what they were for, but he though that Tarja could figure it out. He pocketed them and found the tools he was looking for.

"_Whatever the cost,"_ he thought to himself before killing the Repo Man.

* * *

Shilo had spent a good two hours reading the poems and her head was swimming, drunk with the beauty, power, and emotions of the words.

She had spent a few minutes over a cookbook, wanting to make something special to eat for when Graverobber came back.

This was her first time cooking like this, but her dad had taught her to cook some things when he was 'working'. Shilo scoffed at the memory and spent a few minutes checking the temperatures of the flames, making sure the milk in the sauce wouldn't burn. She busied herself with other things while waiting for dinner to finish. She had cut up the vegetables, boiled the noodles and sautéed the chicken. After twenty minutes, the sauce was done.

Checking through the cookbook one last time, she smiled, clapping her hands, pleased with herself that she had done it right. She took a taste after mixing everything together, closing her eyes to enjoy the flavors of the food.

All that was left to do was wait.

* * *

Graverobber walked through the graveyard as quietly as he could. He was worried about Amber sending more goons to tail him, and he didn't want anyone to know he was staying at Shilo's. He didn't want to put her in danger. He'd killed Marco to protect her. He'd killed those three junkies to protect her. He'd be damned if he caused her to suffer in anyway.

He went to the tomb and walked the catacomb, through Nathan's lab and then through the fireplace. He immediately smelled cooked food and went to the kitchen.

He smiled at Shilo, who was sitting in a chair with her knees to her chin, still reading the poetry book that he'd made.

"Which one's been your favorite?" he asked, sitting across the table from her.

Shilo looked up at him and smiled, then began thumbing through the pages.

"This one," she said, sliding the book to him. "This is the one I want you to read to me tonight."

Graverobber read the poem and smiled. Kid had good taste.

"Are you hungry?" she asked, standing up and scooping up noodles and alfredo onto a plate. Graverobber made a mental note of where the page was and accepted the plate he had given her.

It was the best meal he'd ever had.

* * *

Amber's surgery was scheduled for the next day. She'd spent the whole day wearing a veil over her face.

The door to her office had opened and she saw one of her Repo Men entering the room with a folder.

He slid it across the table, along with his mask and badge before leaving the room.

Amber opened the file and saw the pictures of Marco's mutilated corpse.

She scoffed. She grew up seeing corpses like this.

It wasn't until she turned the pages that she saw what had made the Repo Man leave.

A note. Written in blood.

"_Carmela,_

_You should know by now games aren't my thing. I don't enjoy playing with people or manipulating them anymore, unlike you. Leave her alone or I will bring you and GeneCo down for good. Remember Daddy Dearest's Three Strike Rule? Consider this your second."_

* * *

After they had finished eating, Shilo took the dishes to the sink. As she picked up Graverobber's, she noticed blood through his shirt.

"What happened?" she asked, unbuttoning his shirt to inspect the wound. She gasped when she saw how deep it was.

"Guess it's my turn to play doctor tonight," she sighed, taking him up the stairs to her bathroom.

He let her clean his wound and bind it, so many thought running through his head.

"_Ok. Don't focus on her hands. Yes, they feel smooth and cool. And soft…not working. Something else- why the Hell does her dress seem so tight?"_

Graverobber groaned, feeling his blood pumping fast.

"Did I hurt you?" Shilo asked.

He could only shake his head. The lump in his throat prevented him from speaking. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to focus on something else.

"Are you okay, Graverobber?" Shilo asked, putting her palm to his cheek.

He opened his eyes slowly, feeling Shilo move her body closer. She looked up at him, her eyes worried.

He coughed a few time and nodded, stepping away from her.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just a little tired," he lied, cursing himself. Where the fuck did this sudden timidity with women come from?

"I just worry too much," Shilo laughed.

"Why worry about me?" Graverobber asked.

He saw Shilo's face flush a bright red as she looked down.

Graverobber walked to her slowly, placing his hand under her chin, forcing her to look at him.

"Why worry about me, Firefly?" he asked softly. "Hm?" he asked.

Shilo felt herself become unsettled. His voice seemed to be caressing her.

"You should know," she whispered breathlessly. She kept her eyes closed tightly, afraid his eyes would draw the truth out of her.

Graverobber moved his face to her neck, kissing it softly. Shilo moaned, feeling her legs shake.

"Maybe I do know…but don't you think it'd be more liberating to say it, hmm?" he breathed into her ear, tilting her head back to kiss her neck, his teeth following the cords of her neck.

Shilo began to breathe faster, slightly afraid of the sensations she was feeling.

"I want to hear you say it, Shilo," he said, looking into her eyes. He could see her eyes blink rapidly.

"I'm afraid…" she whispered.

"Of…?"

"Of you…not feeling the same way."

"You can't let fear rule your life, hon. Please. I want to hear you say it. Why do you worry about me?"

Shilo took a deep breath and looked up at Graverobber. He had a self-assured smirk on his face, and she could see something in his eyes- a fire that scared her and excited her at the same time.

"I love you," she whispered.


	8. These Secrets Will Kill Us

**Author's Note: Hello, lovelies. Sorry for the delay, a lot's going on in my personal life.  
The song I was listening to towards the end of this chapter was "Secret" by Madonna and the poem Graverobber recites to Shilo is called "The Ragged Words" by...Yeats.  
Light Grilo action in this one...maybe a little more next chapter.  
Enjoy!**

Shilo ran downstairs and fell on the couch, letting the tears flow.

"_Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Like he'd ever love someone like you. You're too damaged. Too broken. Stupid kid." _Shilo thought to herself, holding her knees to her chin, trying to make herself as small as possible.

"I promised you I'd read you a poem tonight."

Shilo jumped up. She hadn't known Graverobber followed her down stairs.

"I'd still like to read to you, Firefly."

Shilo nodded, fighting a fresh onslaught of tears.

Graverobber walked to the kitchen table where the book had been left and looked through them. He scanned through to a different poem, choosing a new one instead of the one he promised to read to her.

He looked back and saw Shilo was trembling.

Graverobber walked over to the couch and sat next to her. She moved farther away from him.

"It'll be hard for me to read you this poem if you're far away like that," Graverobber said, moving closer to her and putting an arm around her.

"Don't cry, Firefly. You have no reason to cry. Let me hold you and read to you, and you'll see why, ok?" Graverobber said softly. He heard Shilo sniffle and take a deep breath, leaning into his chest.

He waited a few minutes before he started to read.

"_O, hurry, where by water, among the trees,  
__The delicate-stepping stag and his lady sigh,  
__When they have looked upon their images  
__Would none had ever loved but you and I!_

_Or have you heard that sliding silver-shoed  
__Pale silver-proud queen-woman of the sky,  
__When the sun looked out of his golden hood?  
__O, that none ever loved but you and I!_

_O hurry to the ragged wood, for there  
__I will drive all those lovers out and cry  
__O, my share of the world, O, yellow hair!"  
__No one has ever loved but you and I."_

Graverobber closed the book and put it on the table, wrapping his arms around Shilo.

"You don't have to be afraid of anything. Why do you think I keep coming back to you, hmmm?"

"Hero complex," Shilo answered immediately.

Graverobber chuckled, slightly taken aback by her lowered his mouth to Shilo's ear, gently breathing his next sentence into her.

"Far from it…so far from it. Why do you think I read poetry to you? When I read to you, the look on your face…you look so peaceful. So happy. So cherished," he said, moving his hand to her face, pulling her face to look into his looked deep into her eyes. He knew she'd been through much for someone so sheltered in her life. Her eyes were still red, still full of unshed tears. The last thing he'd ever want to do was hurt her.

He brought her face closer, gently touching his lips to hers. He could hear Shilo's sigh against his lips, a sigh of lips still remained on hers, gently massaging; testing the waters. He gently lowered his mouth to her bottom lip, one hand on the back of her head, the other on her hip. Shilo's hands moved to Graverobber's face, cupping his cheeks, instinctively drawing him in closer until she was leaning down on the couch, Graverobber on top of her.

He broke the kiss and moved to her neck, gently kissing and stroking the slender began to breathe heavily and tremble. Graverobber, feeling her shake, stopped.

"I'm sorry," Shilo whispered. "I…I don't know what to do. I've never done thi-"Graverobber put a finger to her lips.

"I know," he said softly, moving to kiss her softly.

But at that moment, something primal had awoken in Shilo. As Graverobber pulled back, she wrapped her fingers around his shirt, pulling him to her. She brought his lips to touch hers, feeling sparks when their lips met. She realized that the trembling earlier wasn't necessarily from fear, but a mixture of anticipation and excitement. Still, her inexperience frightened her. She was nervous, not completely knowing what to do.

She broke away from the kiss, looking unsure.

I don't know what to do, Graverobber," she chuckled. Graverobber laughed, causing her to smile.

"Do you trust me?" he asked, all humor gone from his voice, replaced by a seriousness Shilo had never heard before.

She swallowed and nodded her smiled and held Shilo's hand, leading her to her bedroom.

Shilo felt her breath catch as he laid down on the bed, his body intimidating her in many ways, exciting her and terrifying her all at the same time.

Shilo walked slowly, sitting on the bed beside him, heart pounding in her head.

Graverobber sat up, stroking her cheek.

"Don't be afraid, Firefly. We don't have to do anything, okay? If you want-"

Shilo interrupted him, her lips touching his with a ferocity he'd never experienced before. She gently pushed him back down, straddling him until they were both pressed against each other.

Something instinctive, primal, and hungry had entered Shilo. For all her inexperience, she felt it gave her leeway to experiment a little bit…

* * *

Numbness. Sweet oblivion coursed through Amber's veins in the form of blue, liquid strength.

She had given the surGens a diagram of how she wanted to look afterwards and was pleased with the results. Her eyes were now a smoky grey, her hair a dark blue. She had her bone structure altered, distorting her appearance. Then again, the bruising and puffiness had yet to fade away.

She leaned away from her mirror as she picked up her wrist phone to set up an appoointment with Shilo.

Shilo had already had enough time. It was taking too long. Amber had tried her best to be patient, but time was running out.

Amber had already broken so many promises. This was one she refused to break.

She steeled herself and dialed Shilo.

* * *

Tarja spent the past few hours talking with Naomi, a former surGen. Fortunately, Naomi was working with her now…in more ways than one.

It had been another difficult day for Tarja. Although the numbers of the children in the house had been dwindling, they left memories, pain cast in indelible ink. Always the same questions. The same sorrow.

This time, Tarja allowed herself to break down. After holding another young girl as she died, Tarja walked downstairs and hid in her bedroom, rocking herself and crying.

She didn't even hear Naomi open the door, or feel her crawl into bed beside her.

Naomi wrapped her arms around Tarja's crying form, stroking her hair and shoulder.

Tarja sobbed for a few more minutes before taking a deep breath.

"God, I'm turning to such a fucking pussy," she laughed, rolling over to face Naomi.

Naomi merely smiled, kissing her lover's lips."Nope, sweetie. You're human. Congratulations!"

Tarja stuck her tongue out at Naomi.

"Any news with the samples Graverobber brought back?" Tarja asked, sitting up in the bed.

"That's what I came to talk to you about, before being sidetracked by a certain angel's crying."

Tarja chuckled and leaned her head on Naomi's shoulder. They would talk about the results in a moment. Right now, Tarja wanted comfort, more than anything.

* * *

_Incoming call from Amber Sweet. Incoming call from Amber Sweet._

"For the love of all things holy, please let the damn thing keep ringing," Graverobber groaned, trying to keep his temper in check. He wanted nothing more than to throw the damn thing across the room and keep experimenting with his Shilo.

Shilo looked unsure, hesitant. She smiled at Graverobber and gently began to touch his face, enjoying the feel of his skin against her fingertips.

He sucked in a deep breath when she stroked his temple.

"Sensitive, there?" she asked impishly.

"Only one way to find-"

"_Shilo, this is Amber. I understand it's late now, but I need to leave you this message. We have a meeting scheduled tomorrow afternoon, and I'd appreciate it greatly if you could attend this one. Tomorrow at 2:00. I'll send the driver."_

Shilo rolled her eyes before taking off her wrist phone and flinging it across the room.

Graverobber chuckled.

"Now, where were-"

"_Incoming call from T.R. Incoming call from T.R."_

"Why, Lord? Why have you forsaken me?" Graverobber asked turning his face to the ceiling.

"Who's T.R.?" Shilo asked, moving from his to get the phone.

"It's Tarja."

Shilo nodded and answered the phone.

"Graverobber?" Shilo heard Tarja ask.

"It's Shilo. I'll give the phone to him.""It's fine. Just tell him he needs to come over tonight. No harvest or anything, but we have to talk," Tarja said before hanging up.

Shilo, still holding the phone, turned to face Graverobber. He was getting dressed, a grim expression on his face.

"What's going on?" Shilo asked.

"Nothing good. I gave Tarja your frequency number if she needed to talk to me and she said she'd only call in an emergency."

"Ok. Well, let me get dressed and I'll come with you."

"No. I really don't want you back there. At least for a while."

Graverobber heard shuffling and turned around, seeing Shilo put on a pair of jeans underneath her dress and grab a heavy hooded coat from her closet.

"Dream on," she said, turning around to face him.

"Stubborn little minx," he mumbled, working on the ties for his boots.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," he said, pulling a smile from his sleeve.

Shilo scoffed and walked over to him, unlacing the boots he'd managed to turn into knots.

"Admit it. You'd be bored without me," Shilo said, smiling up at him.

"Ah, how much simpler life was," Graverobber wistfully.

Shilo slapped him on the chest playfully and quickly kissed him.

"Ah, how empty life was," he chuckled, kissing her again.

"Let's go.

* * *

They took the long route to Tarja's. Graverobber didn't want to risk running into another Repo Man, especially with Shilo in tow. He was vigilant, listening to every whisper in the wind, every echo in the footsteps.

He held Shilo's hand, gently running his thumb over the back of it.

When they reached the doorway, he turned to her.

"New rule this time, ok?"

"Ok…" Shilo said.

"You're not going to follow me or Tarja, ok? I want you to stay in the kitchen. Don't go upstairs. At all."

"Why?"

"Just promise me or we're turning around and I'm locking you in your room," Graverobber said.

Shilo flinched at this before nodding her head.

He gave her a soft kiss, trying to take away the sting of the threat he had made.

He entered the number on the keypad and walked Shilo into the kitchen, watching as she at down at the table. Graverobber stood at the doorway, looking down a hall.

A door behind Shilo opened and she screamed.

"Thanks, kid. Usually I make people scream in the bedroom, but the kitchen's just as good," Tarja said, winking at Shilo.

"It wasn't you! It was the noise! I didn't know there was a door in here," Shilo said, worried she might have hurt Tarja's feelings.

"Easy, Shilo," Tarja smiled, ruffling Shilo's hair affectionately.

The door behind Shilo opened again and she turned around to see who it was.

A very pretty woman came into the room. She had such long, dark red hair it made Shilo jealous. Her eyes were a dark green and her skin was the color of porcelain. Shilo silently wondered if she'd ever look as remarkable as the woman who entered, fighting a stab of jealousy as she saw the woman's endowments.

The woman walked over to Tarja and kissed her.

"Huh. Long time no see, stranger," the newcomer said, smirking at Graverobber.

"Naomi. Always a pleasure," Graverobber said, bowing gracefully.

Naomi turned around and smiled at Shilo.

"You're Shilo, right?" she asked.

Shilo nodded her head, slightly overwhelmed with so many people around her. Graverobber noticed this and walked behind her, gently rubbing her shoulders. She visibly relaxed, leaning against him.

"I didn't mean to startle you," Naomi said.

"It's fine. I'm just not really used to people."

"Ok. Well, you wouldn't mind if I borrowed Tarja and Graverobber for a bit, would you? I'd invite you, but I think the science shit might bore you to death.

Shilo smiled. She was beginning to like this woman."No problem," Shilo said, scooting her chair back a little.

"Stay there!" Tarja and Graverobber said simultaneously.

"I was just trying to lean back a little!" Shilo said defensively, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'll meet you two downstairs, ok?" Graverobber said.

Naomi and Tarja walked downstairs, bantering back and forth.

"I'll be back soon, okay? And don't worry about Naomi. She's got a little bite to her, but she's still a good person," Graverobber said, stroking Shilo's hair.

"I'm not worried. I was just startled."

"Ok. Like I said, I'll be back soon and stay here."

He walked down the stairs and closed the door behind him.

* * *

"Ok, this is the deal. Those samples you got- and I don't even want to guess how the hell you got them- are similar to the samples we've gotten from the blood of the kids here. You were right when you suspected they were laced with Zydrate, but there's also something else," Naomi said, a pristine white lab coat on her body as she walked back and forth between centrifuges and microscopes.

"You remember how Mama Dearest said she was working on something all those years ago when we were just out of our teens?" Tarja asked, eyes on Graverobber. She saw how he visibly stiffened and watched as he balled his hands up. He nodded.

"Looks like this was her Grand Plan. In the sample you have, there's a compound in there that's similar to steroids, but it effects the body on a deeper cellular level. What it does is alter the DNA slightly, overcharging the mitochondria in the cells," Naomi said, still fiddling with samples.

"In English, or for the ones who have forgotten those terms?"

Naomi sighed dramatically and Tarja held back a laugh. She'd known Naomi long enough to know what was coming.

"Ok. For the little workout buildings in your body, this compound makes them work after business hours," Naomi replied.

Tarja let the laugh out. Graverobber rolled his eyes and continued.

"So what's the purpose?"

"It keeps the organs fresh. Usually, Repo Man have had to kill to get organs, but when the heart stops, cellular necrosis- cell death- occurs. It damage the organs to the point where they can only be used once, now. But this compound…it stops cellular death because the mitochondria is hyperactive. Therefore, it gives the organs more uses. But the problem is with the ones surviving the Repos. Because the mitochondria is hyperactive, the body or brain don't die for a while. It's torture."

"Fucking bastards," Tarja said.

"This helps us…." Graverobber said.

"A little more than you'd think. I can use these samples to at least make a vaccine of some sort. I know it won't do much for the victims with missing lungs or kidneys, but at least this way, they don't have to be in pain while waiting for death."

Silence filled the small lab. They were closer to at least giving the dying comfort. Just no closer in stopping the death.

* * *

Graverobber walked upstairs and saw Shilo sleeping, her head and arms resting on the table. He smiled softly.

"You can put her in my bed for now. As for you and me, we need to have a talk," Tarja said behind him.

Graverobber sighed as he lifted Shilo's sleeping form. He smiled when she wrapped her arms around him and snuggled deeper into his chest. Tarja followed them to the bedroom and watched as he put Shilo on the bed.

Tarja walked and covered Shilo with a small blanket before kissing her forehead.

She turned around and pushed Graverobber out of the room, pushing him into the kitchen.

"All right. I'm okay with her being here, especially with all the shit going on. But I'm just beyond fucking pissed at you."

"Me? What the fuck did I do?" Graverobber asked indignantly.

"You haven't told her."

He groaned and put his hands to his forehead.

"Yeah. That'd be great pillow talk. 'So Shilo. Just wanted to let you know I worked with your dad. Yup. He trained me to be a Repo Man.' Oh yeah. That'd go smoothly," he replied.

"Are you seriously that stupid?" Tarja asked with more venom than she usually would.

"What I don't see is how this concerns you, Tarja."

"It concerns me because I happen to like that little girl. You know her father lied to her her entire life! And she's in love with you and you're hiding something like this from her. There is more at stake here than your dirty little secret, Graverobber."

"She has a meeting with Carmela tomorrow," he said sullenly. It was Tarja's turn to groan.

"Let me guess. Another dirty little secret you haven't told her?"

"She knows I'm not fond of any of the Largos. She just assumes it's because of my occupation."

"You, my friend, are a fucking coward. These secrets you're keeping from her are going to kill her. Not in the sense you might think, but she's still going to die a little on the inside when she has to find out you've been lying to her."

Tarja left the room to go downstairs, slamming the door behind her.

"Secrets kill everyone, Tarja," Graverobber whispered.


	9. Devil On Your Back

_In the 3 months since her mother had left, everything had changed. Carmela struggled to remember the smell of her mother's perfume. The sound of her voice and laugh. Her memories were clouded over by feelings of betrayal and anger. What had she done wrong? What was so wrong with her that Olivia couldn't bear to be around? She hid in her room, not wanting to be a part of her brothers or father's daily was another cloudy day. Carmela had been losing weight. She had not been sleeping, preferring the dark reality as opposed to fanciful dreams. Dreams of her mother loving her again._

_A soft knock came at the door. Carmela threw a pillow at the door._

"_I'm not here," she said, her voice cracking._

_The door opened and Carmela turned to see who it was surprised to see it was the female reporter she'd seen three months earlier- the one who talked with her father- Marni Cover._

"_Hey," Marni said, walking to sit on the bed beside rolled over away from Marni, cradling herself._

"_Carmela, I know you don't know me, but…well, your family's worried about you, pretty girl. Your dad knows you're not doing well and he doesn't know what to do. He knows you're sad, but he doesn't know how to help. He wanted me to come talk to you," Marni said._

_Carmela sniffled, fighting back tears."You don't know nothing about this," she sniffled._

"_I know a bit more than you think. My mom left when I was about your age, so I can understand what you're going through. You're probably thinking "what's so wrong with me that she couldn't love me enough to stay?" At this, Carmela rolled over and sat up. Marni put a comforting hand on her shoulder._

"_There is absolutely nothing wrong with you, pretty girl. Nothing. You did nothing wrong, I promise."_

Carmela took a deep breath and flung herself into Marni's arms, allowing Marni to hold her as the tears finally found their release.

* * *

Tarja was down in the lab with Naomi, pacing with frustration.

"I'm telling you, one of these days I'm just going to lose it on him and kick his ass, Naomi. Seriously."

Naomi chuckled and took off her lab coat. She walked over to Tarja and held her hands, calming her down.

"As much as we'd both like to sometimes, we'd never really do it, love," Naomi chuckled.

Tarja groaned.

"I hate it when you're right like this."

"What's really getting to you about this, Tarja?" Naomi asked sighed heavily.

"I know what it's like to be lied to constantly. And I know how badly it hurts, especially when you find the truth out yourself our from someone else. When that trust is broken, it can never be fixed, at least from my experience. I just…I can't stand to see Shilo be lied to anymore. Especially by Graverobber. I know she loves him. Hell, I get that same goo-goo ga-ga look in my eyes when I see you."

Naomi kissed Tarja softly before speaking.

"But that's in your experience, sweetheart. Shilo is a completely different person than you. She forgave her father, so why do you think that -when- Graverobber tells her, she won't forgive him?"

"Tarja, I know you want him to let her know, and he will. In his own time. He still needs to come to terms with himself, babe. With what he's done. Remember that the secrecy and lies are what he had to use to survive," Naomi finished, stroking Tarja's shoulders.

"And here I thought you were a doctor of the body, not the mind," Tarja laughed.

"Honey, I'd have thought by now you'd know I treat all of you," Naomi said, kissing Tarja softly.

"Sorry to interrupt this, but unless I can watch, I have a favor," Graverobber said.

Tarja spun around and saw Graverobber leaning against a table, a grin on his face.

"Asshole," Tarja laughed. "What can we do for you?"

"Is it fine if Shilo stays here for about an hour? I need to take care of something."

"Ah, I thought we could watch," Naomi pouted, winking at Tarja before going up the stairs. Tarja smirked after her.

"Yeah, it's fine. Just try to be back in a hour, like you said. After all, Sleeping Beauty has a meeting with the great Carmela in the afternoon."

Tarja turned around and began to read some notes as Graverobber walked up the stairs to Tarja's room, where Shilo slept.

He sat on the bed next to her, stroking her cheek. Shilo stirred.

"Hey," she said, voice full of sleep.

"Hey, Firefly," he said, his heart smiling.

"I need to go take care of something, ok? I'll be back in an hour and then we'll go home," he said. Shilo nodded and lifted her head to kiss him.

"I'll be back in a bit," Graverobber whispered against her lips before leaving the room.

Shilo smiled to herself and snuggled into the bed a little more.

* * *

The walk home had cleared his mind a little.

Home.

He'd never had a real home. He'd never had a real family. He had nothing. Until a certain little Firefly breezed into his life. But before that…he had not lived. His existence was nothing more than that of a shell- a body with no soul. A heart with no compassion. Nathan had gone to great lengths to train him properly, along with Tarja's father, Liam. Tarja's mother had acted as…well, a surrogate mother, for lack of a better term. Just in the sense of playing doctor. He thought his life was broken before, but the moment his parent traded him for an extension, his life was irreparable.

That's how he and Tarja had become friends- both born to demons they were required to call "Mom" and "Dad". As they grew older together, they began to call Tarja's mother "Mommie Dearest".

Graverobber winced at the memory when Tarja's mother had overheard. The bitch had slashed his back up with her scalpel, and Tarja…He honestly thought she'd die. Mommie Dearest had decided to use her own daughter as a lab rat with a new process- ocular deconstruction.

For three months, he had acted as Tarja's eyes. During that time, she would recite to him poetry- poetry he would write down and create a book. The same book he had entrusted to Shilo.

The horrors he'd seen still haunted him to this day. Even after the Largos took him in- still under the tutelage of Nathan, however.

Graverobber shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts and memories.

He walked into the house he…well, he supposed he could call it 'home' by now. He raced up the stairs, wanting to finish the deed.

He withdrew the paper he had kept with the file pathways written down on. He took a deep breath as he began to delete his files.

"Whatever the cost," he whispered.

* * *

Shilo stirred, stretching her limbs. She heard a knock on the door.

"I'm awake," Shilo said, sitting up.

Graverobber walked in, smiling.

"Hey!" she screamed, launching herself into his arms.

Graverobber held her tightly, feeling free and unburdened.

"Ready to go home, Firefly?" he asked. He felt Shilo nod against him and he set her down.

"Well, first you need to say bye to Tarja and Naomi. I've had enough of them bitching at me," Graverobber laughed.

Shilo ran out the room into the kitchen, where Tarja was just walking up the stairs.

"Woah! Slow down, kid! Tarja laughed as she wrapped her arms around Shilo.

"We're going to go home now and I wanted to say good night," Shilo said, disengaging herself from Tarja.

"All right, sweet pea. I'll tell Naomi you said good night. She's still working in the lab. Be safe- both of you," Tarja said.

Shilo walked to Graverobber and held his hand as they walked out the door together.

* * *

"Are you still tired, Firefly?" Graverobber asked as he held the door open for Shilo.

"Not really," Shilo said, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Oh?" Graverobber asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Shilo smiled and ran up the stairs, Graverobber running after her. He caught her just as she got to the bed. He fell on top of her, both of them laughing.

Shilo smiled, stroking Graverobber's hair."I love you," she said, doe brown eyes meeting indigo blue.

Graverobber gave a smal smile and cupped her face in his hands.

"I love you," Graverobber said softly before kissing her.

**A/N- I know it's a little short, but I'm pretty tired, haha. It's been a long week for me with some personal things. But...Grilo next chapter. Promise. Remember to review or the Repo Man will get you.  
No, seriously- it's the digital age. Your IP address is being tracked. Review or be Repo'd!**


	10. All That's Real And True

**A/N: This chapter is solely made of lemon fluff topped off with yummerific smut. Grilo action. **  
**Written to: "Is Your Love Strong Enough" by Bryan Ferry, "Closer" by Lacuna Coil, "Shake It Out" by Florence + The Machine, "All The Things She Said" by TATU, and "Breathe Me" by Sia.**

* * *

Graverobber gently stroked Shilo's hair as he laid kisses from her lips, trailing down to her cheek and neck. Shilo's breathing became shallow and deep as she began to focus solely on the sensations coursing through her body.

Shilo slowly moved her hands to Graverobber's chest, pushing off his heavy jackets from his shoulders. Graverobber sat up and took the coats off the rest of the way while Shilo began to work on unbuttoning his shirt.

She looked into his eyes as she slowly undid the buttons. Graverobber felt his heart beat faster as her soft fingers made contact with his skin. He felt he'd die before she finally undid the last button. He groaned with pleasure as Shilo gently ran her fingers across his chest, finally placing her hand on his heart. She closed her eyes and smiled at the heat of his body and the beat of his heart.

Graverobber leaned back down and kissed Shilo, taking her bottom lip into his mouth and gently nibbling. Shilo gasped sharply.

"Are you okay?" Graverobber asked, pulling away, fearful he had hurt her.

Shilo nodded her head. "Yeah…it just kinda surprised me."

Graverobber grinned lecherously. "Believe me, Firefly. There's going to be plenty of surprises tonight," he said before kissing her lips again.

Shilo pulled his shirt off, gently running her fingers over the scars on his shoulders. She felt him sigh in pleasure against her lips.

"Ah…he must be sensitive there,"

Shilo thought, running her fingers over his back. She heard a primal sound deep in Graverobber's throat. He ran his teeth down the cords of her neck, causing Shilo to gasp and buck against him.

It was his turn to gasp as Shilo took his lip between her teeth, gently nibbling.

Graverobber rolled over so Shilo was astride him. He lifted her dress from her body, allowing him to view his Firefly in all her beauty.

Shilo, despite her passion and eagerness, suddenly felt self-conscious of her body. She remembered the women she'd seen him with- so much more beautiful than she could ever imagine being. She moved to cover her upper body with her arms.

Graverobber gently captured her wrists in his hands, his thumb stroking small circles against her veins.

"None of that. Not tonight. You're beautiful, Shilo. And I want to see all of you," Graverobber said, pulling her to him.

He kissed her and Shilo felt her heart beat wildly as he unclasped her bra. Shilo gasped as the cool air of the room hit her now bare upper body.

Graverobber gently rolled her to her back as he lay on his side next to her, one hand supporting his head as his other gently traced patterns over Shilo's breasts. He had to restrain himself, wanting Shilo to become familiar with his touch before he allowed himself to act further.

Still tracing her breasts, he moved to kiss her neck as Shilo moved to run her fingers down his back. Graverobber kissed down her neck to her chest before kissing her breast.

Shilo gasped in pleasure, starting to moan softly as Graverobber kissed her breasts. He moved on top of her, his mouth still latched on her breast as he moved his hands down to her stomach, grazing the hem of her jeans.

Graverobber broke his claim on her breasts to look into her eyes as he began to unclasp her jeans. He smiled seductively, noticing her eyes were glazed with passion.

He pulled off her jeans gently, along with her underwear. Kissing his way back up to her lips, he placed a hand on the inside of her thigh, stroking her flesh.

Graverobber gasped as Shilo grasped his shoulders, crushing her lips against his. He moaned as he felt himself become harder.

Primal instinct had replaced and rationality Shilo might have retained as she moved her hands to undo Graverobber's belt.

He broke away from her and Shilo groaned in frustration. He quickly undid his jeans and in several moments, Shilo saw her Graverobber nude.

Her breathing increased as she reached out to bring him closer to her, wanting to feel the safe and comforting sensations of his skin against hers.

For all of Graverobber's eagerness, he knew he wanted to take it slow…well, as slow as possible for him, for her.

He took his time, feeling her skin with his fingertips and tasting with his lips. For perhaps the first time in his life, he had felt what it was like to be wanted.

Shilo whimpered as his hands moved downward.

He stopped his downward travel and looked up at her.

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked.

Shilo took a deep breath and shook her head. Despite her own feelings or passion and desire, she was still afraid- afraid of the emotions and sensations flowing through her veins and beating through her heart. She felt like she was falling, but flying.

Graverobber could feel her shake. He held her close to him, stroking her hair and the small of her back, doing his best to relax her.

Shilo stopped shaking and began to kiss him, exploring his mouth with her own, reveling in the changes of pressure he would apply. Shilo started to move her kisses to his chest, slightly pushing him on his back.

She hesitated when she saw his member. Medical books could only teach one so much and tended to be as scientific as possible. Shyly, she placed a trembling hand on him, feeling her heart jump as he throbbed against her. Eyes to his face, she wrapped her small hand around it, enjoying the sensation of heat and softness against her palm. She noticed that Graverobber's eyes were closed, his mouth slightly open. She took a deep breath and began to stroke his member, testing different speeds and pressures until she found a steady rhythm that he seemed to respond to. Graverobber's breathing intensified as he began to stroke Shilo's hair.

Graverobber gently pulled her up to him taking her face in his hands and kissing her deeply as he put her on her back.

When she was fully reclined, he gently seperated her legs, one hand stroking the back of her knee up to her inner thigh as he kissed the opposite leg.

He kneeled slightly and put a hand on her hip, his thumb stroking the skin as his other hand caressed her intimacy.

Shilo gasped at the sudden sensation, feeling like she was missing something- something she had never even experienced before.

Graverobber seperated her nether lips and gently placed a finger inside of her, slightly frowning when he felt how tense she was around just one finger. But after several gentle stroke, he felt her relax.

Shilo was moaning, her hips following the rhythm that Graverobber led with his hand on her hip. He placed another finger inside her, watching as Shilo's face contorted with pleasure.

He could feel her tense again and knew what would happen.

Graverobber withdrew his fingers- now slick with Shilo's pleasure, causing Shilo to whimper at the sudden emptiness.

He kissed her fiercely, feeling her arms tighten against his neck, drawing him in deeper.

He broke the kiss slowly, his eyes with a hungry gleam in them.

"The point of no return, Firefly," he whispered huskily.

Shilo nodded, a small smile on her face.

Graverobber closed his eyes, thanking whatever gods above that she wanted this. That she wanted _him_.

He took a deep breath as he placed himself at her entrance. He began to kiss her softly, his kisses filled with promises of his love for her, of a future, a life together.

He entered slowly, restraining himself and his desire. Shilo took sharp breaths, her eyes slolwy filling with tears. Graverobber stroked her cheek as he kissed her tears away. He felt the barrier preventing him from being one with her and pushed past it, gasping in pleasure.

Shilo let out a small whimper, feeling an odd mixture of pain with pleasure. Her heart beat wildly against her chest as her breathing became heavy.

Graverobber waited patiently, allowing Shilo to become used to him. When he felt Shilo gently buck her hips into him, he began to move gently inside of her, gasping as he felt each gentle thrust fill his veins with fire.

The pain had now left Shilo, replaced with a growing warmth she felt from her head to her toes. She lifted her legs and wrapped them around Graverobber, causing both of them to gasp as he entered her more deeply.

He kissed her, one hand supporting his weight and the other between them, stroking the sensitive nub in Shilo.

Shilo began to moan against his kisses, her nails gently raking his back. Graverobber's hand that supported his body balled up as he felt Shilo begin to contract against him. He was more focused on her reaching her climax first, fighting his own rising orgasm.

Shilo broke the kiss as she tilted her head back, moaning louder and gasping as his fingers and his member push her to the very limits of her sanity as she felt her first orgasm.

Graverobber groaned as he felt Shilo's orgasm overtake him. He began to thrust erratically, wanting to find his release.

"Shilo," he groaned, his breath becoming shallow.

"I love you," Shilo said huskily as she felt another wave of pleasure course through her.

Her orgasm triggered his causing him to let out a deep, throaty groan.

He collapsed against her sweaty body, one hand stroking her face. Shilo held on to him tightly, feeling tired and satisfied.

She moved his face to hers and kissed him softly.

They held each other for several minutes, trying to regain their senses. Graverobber kissed her as he pulled himself out, triggering another gentle orgasm for Shilo. Her head tilted back as her body arched into his.

He chuckled smugly, pleased with himself.

Shilo stayed down, smiling softly, not caring if she ever moved again. Graverobber moved beside her, facing her.

He had covered them with a blanket and taken Shilo into his arms.

"I love you," he whispered softly into her ear.

"I love you," Shilo said sleepily. Graverobber stroked her hair until he felt her relax against him, asleep.

His mind was racing.

This was the first time he'd ever _made love_ to a woman. Sure, he'd had sex, but most of his intercourse had been back alley fucks from scalpel sluts looking for a way to pay. He had accepted, being a man with needs.

This was the first time he had ever felt a satisfied release from intercourse.

_"Love really does make all the difference."_ he though as sleep overtook him.


	11. A Ghost Between Us

Graverobber woke several hours later. Shilo was still asleep, facing him with her arms wrapped around him.

He smiled at the sight, his smile becoming wider as he remembered earlier…

They had made love.

He'd had found true release- more than just an orgasm. It was something deeper than that.

When had he fallen in love with her? Granted, when he saw her in the graveyard three years ago, he had felt a kinship with her. Nathan had told him about Shilo, how he had to keep her 'hidden'. It angered Graverobber, partly because he could feel the similarities between their situation. They existed, but did not live.

But tonight…oh, how he had lived. He had felt more alive than ever. More fulfilled than ever. Not even escaping GeneCo and the horrors he had survived could ever come close to what he had felt tonight.

Graverobber gently began to stroke Shilo's sleeping face. The kinship he had long felt for her slowly turned into love when he saw her in the graveyard at 17, trying to catch a bug. He had seen something in her- an inner fire, a dark desire for freedom. No wonder he felt drawn to her.

Shilo shifted in her sleep, moving her body closer to his. Graverobber groaned lightly, feeling his erection begin to grow again. He kissed her forehead before leaving the bedroom to shower. Hopefully that would distract him for a while…

* * *

Amber paced the room of her office. She had not slept, afraid of the ghosts that would take residence in her nightmares.

She had spent most of the night changing and altering repossession orders and talking to the surGens and Genterns about the new compounds for organs.

Then, in the afternoon, she had her meeting with Shilo.

Amber scoffed, still slightly annoyed with how long it had taken to reach Shilo. She had done her best to keep her true motives hidden and it seemed to have been working. Shilo remained in the dark, unaware of Amber's true motivations. At this thought, Amber smiled. Sure, Shilo had been through the ringer recently, but Amber had been through worse. Amber wasn't as trusting, nor as naïve as Shilo. This gave her an advantage.

Oh, how could she forget the other advantage? Graverobber.

Amber had known him when she was 7 and he was 11. That's when they first met. Nathan had introduced him to the Largos after Graverobber's parents traded him.

More than anytthing, at that point in her life, she wanted a friend.

She would sneak down to the training room when she could and wait for him. She remembered Tarja, pretty well. They had thought of themselves as The 3 Musketeers.

* * *

_"Carmela, what's wrong?" a young Tarja asked. She could see now, partly thanks to Graverobber and Amber's care, although her sockets had a sunken appearance to them now._

Tarja plopped dow next to Carmela outside of the training room. Carmela turned to Tarja, still full of sorrow for what Mommie Dearest had done to her own daughter. Carmela leaned against her friend's shoulder.

_"I'm just thinking. Too much."_

"Bout what?"

"Well...heh. About my mom."

_"Want mine instead?" Tarja joked._

_Carmela felt tears come to her eyes. She'd never really understood Tarja's warped sense of humor._

_"I was kidding, Carmela."_

_"I know. But...I keep looking into the mirror and I see her face. I don't see mine anymore. And I'm considering surgery."_

_Tarja gasped._

_"No. Carmela, you're beautiful. I think so and Graverobber thinks so. You're beautiful the way you are. You don't need it."_

_"I think I do, Tarja. I hate seeing her face. It just...it makes me feel like I was never good enough. Maybe that's why she left me."_

_Silence overtook them._

_"Have you told Graverobber?" Tarja asked lightly._

_Carmela sighed._

_"I'm going to. After he gets out of his practice today."_

_"Carmela...please. Think about this. Hell, for all you know, Mommie Dearest will be your surGen. You could get killer eyes like these."_

Carmela smiled slightly at her friend. Tarja had been through a lot and still could laugh about it. Carmela knew she would never be like that. No matter how much she wished she could.

_The door to the training room opened._

_Graverobber, now a man of 20, had walked out. He had taken off his mask, his brow glistening with sweat. His face and eyes were casting the sense of detatchment he had developed to remain an Elite. But upon seeing Tarja and Carmela, he allowed his face to relax slightly._

_He walked to Tarja first, embracing the young woman, then pulling away to place his hands on her face. He frowned when he looked into her sunken eyes. The past three months had been difficult for the three of them. Carmela and Graverobber were afraid Tarja would become blind. Looking back, he chided himself for allowing the thought. Tarja was a spitefire. _

_"Feeling better?" he asked._

_"Yeah. Never have to worry about eyeshadow or eyeliner again. WIN!" Tarja said, raising her hand._

_Graverobber chuckled and turned to Carmela._

_"Hey, love," he said, embracing her and kissing her on the cheek._

_"Hey. You going to be okay?" Carmela asked, her arms still wrapped around him. She felt him nod against her._

_They broke away when they heard Tarja laugh._

_"Now I know I've never been one for threesomes, but I want a hug too!"_

_They all laughed and embraced each other._

* * *

Instead of remembering the happy moments, she looked upon them with disappointment and bitterness. They had left her. When she was 21, they had left her. Abandoned her. Just like Olivia. Just like Marni.

When she was 21, Carmela had died. Amber had surfaced.

She remembered Tarja once telling her about the duality of human nature- Tarja was quite philosophical- and how in each human heart and soul, there exists two sides- a light and a dark. Yin and yang. Day and night.

Tarja had told her that most people could live companionably with both sides of their nature- accepting it and embracing it. There were some who had chosen to walk in the light, shunning the existance of any possibility of darkness within them.

Finally, there were some who fully embraced the darkness. Those who dwelled in the shadows, hidden away in prisons of their own consciousness. In the world, but apart from it.

_"Wouldn't that be better, though?" she had asked, swiping the cigarette from Tarja._

_"No, I don't think so. If you stay on the light too long, you force yourself in a way to become completely oblivious to the shitty side of life because in the perfect world you create, there is nothing wrong because there is no darkness. Same thing with the darkness- you become consumed with the emptiness inside of you to the point where you become blind and reject any possibility of the smallest flicker of light."_

What a crock. There was no light here. Only darkness.

* * *

Shilo woke, her body slightly sore. She smiled, recalling last night.

Never had she felt more free. More happy or at peace.

She stretched her body, moaning gently at the sensation.

"I hope you don't intend to start without me," Graverobber said through the bathroom door.

She laughed.

Graverobber walked out of the bathroom, a towel about his hips.

Shilo could only smile at how beautiful he seemed to her.

"Actually, I was thinking about taking a shower," she chuckled, moving to grab her robe from the floor. She gather the sheets in her arms to put them in the wash.

"I'd suggest so," he replied seductively.

Shilo had started the laundry and was about the head into the bathroom when her wrist phone began to ring.

_"Incoming call from Amber Sweet."_

"Who did I kill in a past life?" Graverobber bemoaned. Shilo simply rolled her eyes and answered the phone.

"Hello, Shilo. I know it's still slightly early but I wanted to remind you of our meeting this afternoon."

"I know, Amber. I was actually about to jump in the shower," Shilo replied, looking at Graverobber and making a chattering gesture with her free hand. She felt better when she saw him smile.

"Ok, then. I'll sent the driver later. He should be there around 1:30."

"Ok. Gotta go!" Shilo said, hanging up.

Shilo sat next to Graverobber and took his hand into hers.

"There's a lot I don't really know about you. A lot. And...well, I guess I just really don't understand this...animosity towards Amber."

Graverobber sighed, recalling Tarja's words.

He faced her and held her tightly.

"I'll tell you one day. Just not now," he whispered.


	12. Beautiful Liars

_He had an order. You always follow the orders. No matter what. Empty yourself. Become the assassin. Become the murderer. Become the monster. _

_Graverobber waited patiently in a darkened alleyway. He'd studied the R.O. long enough to know her habits. That's what made him an Elite, now. He was no longer the child his victims had seen. He was grown, a man of 25. As the child of Z addicts and graverobbers for the precious commodity, he had learned the ways to fade into the background. How to follow and stalk._

_Here he stood, stalking his prey._

_Part of him couldn't focus on the task at hand. He still remembered the final argument he'd had with Carmela._

_She had become obsessed with surgeries, altering her once beautiful appearance to someone he no longer recognized. She didn't even remotely resemble the woman he had fallen in love with- for every surgeical procedure she underwent, her personality had changed drastically. She's begun to distance herself from both him and Tarja, no longer spending time with them. Tarja had almost died from Mommie Dearest's latest surgery and Carmela hadn't even bothered to visit Tarja. Tarja's dark sense of humor remained, but something inside her had died. Tarja had already lost one of her closest friends and Graverobber wouldn't allow Tarja to lose him._

_He had tried to talk to Carmela earlier that day, but her thoughts were, as always, focused on her looks and appearance._

_"Carmela, I'm trying to talk with you. Would it kill you to put down the fucking mirror?" he growled._

_Carmela had rolled her eyes and slammed her compact shut with an audible snap._

_"What?" she asked impatiently._

_"You do know that Tarja almost died earlier, right?"_

_"Of course I do! I asked her mother to give her the newest form of Zydrate so she'd be okay from the pain."_

_"WHAT?" Graverobber yelled, standing up while knocking his chair down._

_"Give her a day, she'll be fine," Carmela said, waving her hand._

_"Who are you?" Graverobber asked, his eyes darkening to the woman he had thought he'd known so well._

_"Excuse me?" Carmela said, her voice deadly._

_"What, did your newest surgery fuck up your hearing, now? Your best friend almost died. She doesn't want drugs. She wants her friend! And here you are, staring into a mirror. What the hell happened to you, Carmela?"_

_"Fuck you, Graverobber."_

_Graverobber scoffed._

_"We're done."_

_He walked out of the room the the job._

_His mind was still focused on the argument with Carmela, causing him to almost miss the R.O. Almost._

_He pounced on the woman as she turned her back to him, knocking her out quickly._

_Rotti Largo had given him the order directly, no paperwork or files on this one. "Off the books," Rotti had said. "Just her heart. She has been in default for three months."_

_Graverobber rolled the woman on to her back a she slowly came to. She saw his face and instead of crying, instead of begging, she simply smiled. It was almost as if she had been waiting for this day._

_Graverobber looked through his bag, finding the tools he needed._

_The woman still wasn't crying. It aroused his curiosity._

_"What? No begging?" he asked derisively._

_"No. No begging or compromises. I'd known for years this day would come. But I also know about you. Your connections to Rotti...to my little sparrow. Tell her I tried. Please," the woman had whispered._

_He gave no thought as he cut the woman's heart from her chest._

_It wasn't until he was outside Rotti's office when the woman's words had hit him._

_"My little sparrow."_

_Graverobber dropped the container with the woman's heart, the thud resounding through the empty halls of the top floor._

_"Do you have it?" he heard a voice ask._

_Graverobber turned around, face to face with Rotti Largo._

_Rotti had a small smile of triumph on his face, his hands laced together in front of his body._

_"Your wife...the mother of your children."_

_"Your point, young man?"_

_"...She wasn't an R.O. Was she, Rotti?"_

_"What concern is that to you, Graverobber? I had my reasons. We all have our reasons for doing what has to be done."_

_"Murdering your wife needed to be done?"_

_"I didn't murder my wife, Graverobber. There is no record of her in the system. No files. Nothing," Rotti laughed, his sick smile only disgusting Graverobber._

_"You foolish child!" Rotti laughed. "You know nothing. You understand nothing."_

_Graverobber rushed Rotti, taking a syringe out of his pocket and holding it to the older man's neck._

_"What have you done?" Graverobber asked. Rotti, the great Rotti Largo, was now afraid. He had made sure this young man could be the best/ He had no doubt of Graverobber's intentions._

_"She said she'd come back," Rotti said, eyes on the syringe._

_"Your wife?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Why did she leave? You know she loved Carmela and your sons."_

_"She would have taken them," Rottie sobbed. "You know the situation. You know. I couldn't lose them."_

_Graverobber looked at the older man, pure disgust in his eyes. Without a thought, he stabbed the syringe into a vein in Rotti's neck, pushing the plunger down as the clear liquid entered his body._

_"Three years should give you plenty of time to think," Graverobber said, tearing off his RepoMan gear and throwing them to the ground._

_"You turn all you touch into poison. Your daughter's become a monster, your sons- damaged and broken. Because of your greed."_

_The drug coursed through Rotti's veins, rendering him unconscious._

_Graverobber took the elevator to Tarja's room. He had to be quick, not knowing how much time he had._

_Tarja was still on the bed, a young Gentern holding her._

_"We've gotta go. Now," he said, grabbing several items of clothing for the two women._

_"Wh-" Tarja said. The red haired, green eyed Gentern turned, confused._

_"If we stay here any longer, we're dead. We need to leave. You know you can't live through another procedure, Tarja. And Naomi, how much longer till Pavi gets to you? You're not safe."_

_The two women nodded and collected their things, leaving GeneCo, and their dark past behind._

* * *

The memories had gradually hit Graverobber as he held Shilo. She was reading the poetry book, her head snuggled against his chest.

"Hey. What's wrong?" he head her ask. He looked down and saw her concerned face. Shilo reached to his cheek and gently wiped away his fallen tears.

"Nothing. Guess my mind was just wandering a little too far, this time," he said, gently moving Shilo off his body. "But you should be getting ready. The Almighty Amber Sweet is expecting your company shortly."

"I'll try to keep it as short as possible," Shilo said, patting his hand.

"It's fine, Shilo," Graverobber said, kissing her cheek. "I need to go to Tarja's anyway. But if I'm not mistaken, I believe your driver is here."

"I love you," Shilo said.

Graverobber kissd her softly. "I love you, too."

* * *

"You win, Tarja. You always win," Graverobber said, plopping down in the wooden chair at the kitchen table.

It had been slowly winding down as of late. Naomi had succeeded with the vaccine and the children were no longer having to wait out a painful death. Both Tarja and Naomi were greatful for the brief repreive, grateful the children and others were no longer suffering as they once were.

"And you've now just realized this?" Tarja asked innocently. Naomi laughed.

"God, I'd hate the two of you if I didn't like you so much."

"Oh! Does this mean we can watch next time?" Naomi asked, sipping her coffee. Tarja spit hers out, laughing heartily.

"I'm afraid I have no idea what you mean," Graverobber replied loftily.

"Never mind. Oh, by the way, nice hickey."

* * *

"Hi, Shilo. Please, take a seat," Amber said, carrying a sheaf of files to her side of the desk. Shilo sat down cautiously.

Amber sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair. It seemed to Shilo that Amber was exhausted.

"I want to apologize. I've been putting an unfair amount of pressure on you lately. It's wrong of me to do so, especially after you've been through so much, lately."

"Ok."

"But the thing is...God. Well. Let me start with something else. Did you know I knew your mom?"

"Uh...no. I mean, I figured you might have, but how?"

"My mom left when I was 5. Marni was working with my dad at the time and kind of became my surrogate mom for two years, before she married your dad. I loved her very much and it's part of the reason why I've been pushing you like this."

"My mom and Marni wanted the Repos to end. Completely. But they never were able to convince my father. Even if they had stopped the regular RepMen, they still would have had to deal with the Elite."

"I don't understand," Shilo said.

"The Elite are the head of the beast, so to speak. They are the top of the food chain for a reason and are the reason why Repo's can't be stopped. They're working it more than anything. That's why we need the files, Shilo. Your dad was the first. He was the leader and has records of all the Elite. Every repossession they've done. Their names. I know you've been having difficulty accessing them, but I remembered my dad assigning every Elite a safe for their files. As the head of them, your dad would have records for all of them. It's what's in here, Shilo. There is a combination to the safe in these files somewhere and I think the safe might be in your dad's workroom."

Shilo started, dumbfounded and shocked at what Amber had told her.

Several minutes of silence had passed before Shilo could speak.

"This will end it all?"

Amber smiled.

"Yes."

* * *

Graverobber stood in the shower, the hot warm prickling his skin. His mind was racing with imagined scenarios of him telling Shilo. Telling her everything and he was afraid.

He had never been afraid before- usually, to feel fear, you have to have something to lose. Now, he stood at risk of losing everything he had been building with Shilo.

"Hey. Room for two?" he heard her ask. He jumped at the sound of her voice.

"Damnit, Kid. It's not nice to sneak up on people when they're naked in the shower. Not very good manners," he sighed. "But yes. There's always room for you."

He heard the rumpling of clothes falling, felt the brief chill of the air as the curtain opened.

Shilo stepped in, smiling at Graverobber. She wrapped her arms around him, burying her head in his chest.

He wrapped his arms around her.

This is what he would lose if he told her.

This and so much more.


	13. For Each Unshed Tear

After their shower, they had made love. Graverobber found himself falling deeper in love with Shilo the more they touched, the more they talked.

She was sleeping, her cropped hair strewn about her face. Her back was to her front, one hand of his tracing small circles on her hip. He was propped up on his free arm, enjoying the sight of his Firefly so happy, so exhausted.

His mind still drifted to the files he had deleted. They no longer existed, he should feel free and unchained. Instead, he felt more tethered and bound.

Shilo stirred in her sleep, rolling over to face Graverobber. Her eyes were slightly open.

"Hi," she murmured, voice soft with sleep. Graverobber smiled and kissed her.

"Hi, Firefly."

"Why are you still awake?" she asked, moving closer to him. "I thought you'd be just as tired as I am."

"Just thinking," he said, hand still stroking her hip.

"About what?" she asked.

Graverobber thought to himself…_"Just tell her now. Tell her everything. Get it all out.."_

Graverobber took a deep breath, steeling himself for the storm to come.

"Shilo. I need to-" he was interrupted by the wrist phone's ringing.

"_Incoming call from T.R. Incoming call from T.R."_

Graverobber sighed in relief, thanking Tarja for having the -right- timing on something.

He rolled out of the bed and answered the call.

"What?" he asked, pulling a slightly annoyed façade from his sleeve. He turned and winked at Shilo.

"Oh, how I love hearing the pleasantries. Makes my day, y'know. Naomi and I need you to come over, if you can. Shilo's welcome to come, too."

"I don't wanna watch," Graverobber said.

"Perv. Just be here when you can, okay?" Tarja said, disconnecting the call.

"Do you want to come?" Graverobber asked Shilo. Shilo sat up and stretched.

"Hm. Not this time. I kinda just feel like relaxing, if it's okay."

Graverobber walked over to Shilo, embracing her.

"I'll be back soon. Promise," he said, kissing her cheek.

* * *

Graverobber arrived at Tarja's, his mind set on finally telling Shilo everything when he got back.

Tarja and Naomi were sitting at the kitchen table, stacks of paper in front of them.

"And how can I service you lovely ladies this evening?" Graverobber asked, taking a seat across from them.

Naomi looked up, throwing a wadded up tissue at Graverobber.

Tarja playfully slapped Naomi.

"Ok. Let's put the focus on the task at hand, then we'll throw tissue at him, okay?"

Tarja scoured through the stack of papers, tossing a select few to Graverobber. They looked like test results of some sort.

"You know science is now a foreign language to me, right?" Graverobber said, looking at the papers with confusion on his face.

Tarja held up a finger and continued to hand him more.

"Tarja!" Graverobber yelled.

"Give me a fucking minute, man. Seriously."

She handed Graverobber a few more papers and finally stopped.

"A few things. That syringe you gave us, we were able to reverse engineer to give the victims an easy death. We've told you this, but there's something else we found in the drug GeneCo made. There's human DNA in it. The DNA belongs to one person," Tarja said.

"Who?"

"We'll get to that later. The other thing is that we've been looking at the patterns of the repos. Now, there still are regular repos- the ones where they don't inject them with this toxin or whatever the fuck it is. For the kids and women we've been getting, they're fitting a pattern. The women that we get here are all dark haired with blue eyes"

Graverobber could feel his mind distancing from the conversation. A part of him already knew what was happening. He already knew the answer.

"They all look like Olivia," he said.

Tarja looked up quickly, her face contorting in the pain of memories.

"Yeah. And the kids...the kids look like-"

"Carmela."

Sielnce covered the room. Tarja was shaking. Naomi noticed this and held her lover, trying to give her the comfort she needed.

Graverobber flexed and unflexed his hands. He could feel the monster inside him surface.

"That fucking bitch."

Naomi looked up, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"We didn't know she'd do something like this. Ever," Naomi whispered. Tarja had now begun to sob heavily.

"So what? You brought me here to tell me that Carmela's a fucking nutcase? Already knew that. What the fuck can we do? Hmm?" Graverobber asked derisively.

"I don't know!" Tarja screamed. "I don't know."

They sat in silence, the only sound Tarja's crying.

"We need to to something. We need to take GeneCo down. This whole fucking experiment of the Largo's has gone on long enough," Naomi said.

"How?" Graverobber asked.

"Give me time to think about this. I still know a thing or two about the Largos. And GeneCo."

* * *

Graverobber walked to Shilo's, his mind racing and anger pulsing. He heard a voice.

_"Graverobber. Graverobber. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother."_

Out of the shadows came Amber, a twisted smile on her face.

"Remember to play nice, Graverobber," Amber laughed.

Without thinking, he pushed her against the wall. Amber gasped and the sudden impact of brick against her skull.

"You're a fucking monster," Graverobber whispered.

"Birds of a feather. Remember?"

"Do you have any idea how easy it would be for me to break your pretty little neck?" he asked.

"Oh, but Graverobber. I do know. I also know that if I were to be found dead, just some simple pre-written letters leading to a certain...Shilo, perhaps, could be found."

"You woudn't fucking dare."

"Try me. Go on. Show that you're not a coward for once."

Graverobber slapped Amber. She only laughed.

"Tell me, love. Does your precious Shilo know? Hm? About who you really are?"

"She doesn't and she won't.

"What makes you so sure about that, pet?"

Graverobber's eyes widened as he realized what Amber was talking about.

"Quite honestly, I've always found paper files to be rather tedious. But in this case, they served- well, will serve a wonderful purpose."

He threw Amber against the wall and began to run to Shilo's.

* * *

All the words and numbers swam in Shilo's mind. She'd tried countless combinations on her father's safe. She groaned when the latest one didn't work.

"Come on! Seriously?" she asked to the empty room.

She stopped looking at the papers for a moment, her eyes on the safe.

She knew the numbers would have to be something that meant something to her dad. She couldn't figure it out though.

Shilo looked back to the papers and noticed that one had been torn off from the corner. A picture and name were missing.

"Whatever. Can't hurt to guess."

Shilo picked it up and looked at the set of numbers. She noticed that in the numbers, there seemed to be a repeating pattern.

320894.

She thought long and hard. The lock only had room for numbers up to 50, but at least she had a head start.

After a frustrating hour, she had finally figured it out, sighing with relief when the heavy safe opened.

There were stacks of papers and folders.

They were dusty and old, yellow spots on some of them.

Curious, she took one from the top.

There was a set of numbers on them, reading "32089411".

She opened the file and gasped when she saw the picture.

"Graverobber," she whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

Graverobber had been an Elite.


	14. A Few Small Bruises

Shilo felt her world come crashing down suddenly. The weight of the secrets he'd kept from her felt as if they were crushing her from the inside out.

Crying, she threw the files down and ran up the stairs, feeling herself growing sick.

She ran into Graverobber.

"Shi-" he began, knowing she found out.

"Don't. Don't even!" Shilo cried, pushing him away from her.

"I was going to tell you. Tonight, I was going to tell you," he said, following her up the stairs.

"Bullshit," Shilo laughed ruefully, turning to face him.

"You're a liar. You're no better than the people you condemn for Repos. No better. Heh. I actually thought you were the -one- decent person in this hellhole. Wrong, as usual. I'm an idiot. This…whatever this was- was a beautiful lie. Lemme guess- show the poor little girl some kindness, get her guard down, work your way under her skin and fuck her. Just to hide your secret," she said.

Graverobber's eyes darkened with rage.

"You honestly believe that? That I'd do something like that, Shilo?" he asked, his voice deadly.

Shilo scoffed and walked down the stairs, face to face with him.

Eyes swimming with unshed tears, she drew her hand back and slapped him with all her strength.

The sound of her palm connecting with his face triggered the tears to fall for Shilo- tears of anger and sadness. All the lies- everyone protecting her with lies.

She began to hit him again, over and over, crying and screaming.

"GET OUT!" she screamed, hitting and pushing him to the door. His pleas for her to listen were lost in her screams and the sounds of her fists on his chest.

She had pushed him out of the door and locked it, falling down and sobbing.

He pounded on the door, screaming her name and begging her to listen.

He heart nothing but the sound of her tears.

Graverobber sighed heavily, a lump forming in his throat. He fought his own tears as he simply stared at the door.

When the first tear had fallen, he simply walked away. He'd had the world in his hands and threw it away to cover up a past he never wanted to remember.

As he walked through the streets, not really knowing or caring where he was going, he could hear Amber's voice singing:

"_Graverobber. Graverobber. I think I found out why I ever bothered."_

* * *

Naomi flopped down on the bed, face down. She'd been exhausted. Amber seemed to have gone into overdrive with the Repo's and it didn't bode well. She knew Amber had a plan of something.

After hours of talking to her contacts in GeneCo, she'd gotten somewhere. But not where she wanted.

Groaning as she heard the chimes, she rose and went to answer the door.

"I got it, love. You just relax," Tarja called, running to the door.

Tarja opened the door and saw Graverobber- more accurately, the look on his face.

"Oh, God," Tarja sighed, hugging him. She knew from the look on his face what had happened and didn't press him any further.

Graverobber broke away from the hug and sat on the couch, his face in his hands.

Naomi walked out of the bedroom and saw Graverobber. She cast a questioning look at Tarja. Tarja shook her head and she understood.

"Amber beat me to it," he said after sitting in an hour of silence.

"What! How?" Tarja asked, shocked.

"She kept paper files. That's what the big meeting was. He wanted to give Shilo those fucking files so Shilo would be able to get into Nathan's safe."

"That fucking bitch," Tarja said, standing up and beginning to pace the room. This had been yet another betrayal by Amb- Carmela. All she knew was betrayal.

"Tarja, calm down," Naomi said. She'd known Tarja long enough to know when she would begin to explode.

Tarja stopped, leaning against the wall, clenching her fists. She hated seeing Graverobber hurt like this. She hated seeing Naomi frustrated with not knowing what to do. And Shilo- a little girl who was all alone right now- not when she should be.

"I'm going to go talk to Shilo," Tarja said.

"Don't. Please. It'll…I don't know. I just-" Graverobber started.

Tarja interrupted. "Too bad. She may be stubborn, but I can test the patience of angels. I'll be back later."

* * *

Tarja had listened to Graverobber's directions. She was slightly startled how close Shilo lived to her old home. It had always been an area of sadness for her- Genterns and SurGens tended to live in this area, along with the doctors on GeneCo's staff. Then again, knowing Nathan, it made perfect sense for him to live here.

She walked quickly up the steps, knocking on the door.

"Shilo? It's Tarja. Are you home?" she called through the door.

Silence.

Tarja waited, tapping her boot against the steps. She felt something was wrong. She knew Shilo was a bit of a homebody, but still. She tried the door, only to find it locked.

Tarja sighed.

"Ah. Well, Tabbi. Looks like you're coming out of retirement," Tarja said as she gathered her lock pick kit from her bag.

It took her a few tries, having not used her kit in ages. But it was like riding a bike- you never forget.

The door opened and Tarja was struck by how…cold the environment seemed. It seemed dominated by the past- Shilo's past.

She walked in, calling Shilo's name as she closed the door.

Tarja noticed the book of poetry she had given Graverobber on a coffee table. She smiled. She figured he'd given it to Shilo. Probably the closest thing he ever had to him and he found courage to give it to another.

"Shilo? It's Tarja. Where are you?" she called again. Tarja noticed a small line of light from a room upstairs. Tarja walked up the stairs to the door.

"Shilo?" she asked, gently knocking on the door.

After minutes of no response, she opened the door.

Tarja, felt a scream build up in her, but held it back.

Shilo's arms were covered in blood and cuts, some still bleeding.

"Oh my God..." Tarja whispered.

She ran over to Shilo, grabbing th scalpel from her hand and throwing it across the room.

"Shilo. Shilo, wake up," Tarja said, her voice filling with tears as she shook Shilo. She put her head to Shilo's chest, slightly relieved with the beat of the young girl's heart.

She grabbed her wrist phone and called Naomi. Tarja knew she couldn't leave Shilo here, but she didn't have the strength to carry her to the safehouse.

"Hey. Is she okay?" Naomi asked.

"No. I need Graverobber here now. She's hurt. Badly," Tarja said.

"I'll be there in ten minutes," Graverobber spoke into the phone.

Tarja looked at the wounds on Shilo's arms, crying. She gently put her down and went to the bathroom to find something to bind her arms.

"Shilo," Tarja whispered. "What happened, honey?"

Shilo's eyes fluttered open.

"He lied. Everyone lies," she whispered.

"Sweetie...everyone does lie. I know. But sometimes it's to protect who we love," Tarja said, wrapping Shilo's arms with the bandages.

"It doesn't matter," Shilo whispered before sleeping. Tarja's tears fell freely, waiting for Graverobber to help.

* * *

She was weightless. She was a ghost and a shadow and nothing at all. There was no pain here. There were no lies.

But it was cold. It was dark and light. Everything and nothing. This must've been what Hell was like.

She heard voices. Tarja's and Graverobber's. Shilo felt Graverobber lift her over his shoulders as if she weighed nothing.

But the lies...they weighed her down. It seemed the only way for her to be free of them was to bleed them out, one by one. Cut by cut.

She felt herself being placed gently on a bed, a hand holding hers. It had to be Graverobber's- she'd come to know the feel of it.

Shilo whimpered as the bandages were taken off, exposing her scarred and bloody arms to the air. The pain hit her in the bottom of her heart as she felt Graverobber squeeze her hand. Shilo could hear him choke back tears.

"Shilo?" a voice said.

"Hm?" She had no strength to reply in words.

"It's Naomi. Tarja found you at home and brought you back here. You're cut up badly, and I'm going to give you stitches. You're going to feel some pokes because I'm going to numb it, all right?" Naomi said softly.

Shilo laughed softly.

"It can't be numbed," she said softly.

"Graverobber, I need you to keep her awake, okay? I don't know how much blood she's lost and she needs to stay conscious for as long as she can," Naomi said.

Graverobber nodded, his sadness being replaced with a deep stoicism.

"I don't want him here," Shilo said.

"Shilo-" Graverobber began.

"I don't want you here," she enunciated, taking her hand away from his, wincing as her cuts shifted in the air.

Tarja looked at Graverobber, nodding slowly.

"We're not done here, Shilo. Not done at all," Graverobber said as he left the room, slamming the door.

* * *

Amber smiled in her office, leaning back in her chair with her feet on the table.

It was coming together as she'd plan.

Looking to the secret room with the remains of her parents, she smiled broadly.

"It's coming together, Momma. Soon."


	15. Half Truths and Complete Lies

Tarja sat on the bed with Shilo, holding her hand and trying to keep her talking. Shilo would only mumble, but yelp weakly when Naomi tightened a stitch or two. It had taken two hours to clean Shilo up and stitch her wounds. Naomi went to her lab to get a small bag of blood, knowing Shilo had lost a bit.

"Shilo, sweetie. Why?" Tarja asked, cradling her in her arms. Shilo, still in a daze from the loss of blood and the betrayal, merely shrugged. Tarja groaned.

"You're a worse liar than I am, you know that, right?" Tarja said.

"Well at least we all know Graverobber's the best liar."

"Sweetie…there is so much he went through. So much. We went through a lot of it together."

"Why does everyone think they can protect me with lies?" Shilo whispered.

"Lying…even lies by omission…we do it because we think that ignorance is bliss. We don't want to hurt the ones we love," Tarja said.

Naomi came in the room and set up an I.V. for Shilo, a look of concern on her face.

"Shilo, we're going to let you rest now, okay? If you need anything, call us, okay?" Naomi said, stroking her hair. Shilo nodded and drifted off to sleep. Tarja gently placed Shilo down and walked out of the room with Naomi.

They both walked in the kitchen to see Graverobber smoking a cigarette, his free hand clenched in a fist, whitening his knuckles. Tarja walked over and pried his hand open. She'd known from past experiences when he was like this, he'd draw blood.

"I've done enough doctoring today so let's refrain from this, shall we?" Naomi said, arms crossed.

Tarja shot Naomi a dirty look and Naomi looked down in shame. The frustration of the situation had gotten to her- to all of them.

"She told me to leave. And I did. God, I'm an idiot," Graverobber said.

"No. You're an asshole. Big difference," Tarja said, patting him on the hand. Graverobber didn't even look up, not caring Tarja was joking.

"Has she ever cut before?" Naomi asked, taking a seat next to Tarja.

"Yeah. I took care of it the one time I saw. But before that, she said she did it every now and then."

"Just go see her. Please. And you know if I have to, I'll lock the fucking door," Tarja said before going to her room with Naomi.

* * *

Shilo kept dreaming. There was darkness all around her, and cages were built of lies- words and empty promises. She felt herself falling, screaming.

She woke up with a gasp, the soreness in her arms weighing her down. She whimpered in pain when she felt how deeply she had cut herself, holding back tears when she saw dried blooded through thick layers of gauze.

"Does it still hurt?" she heard Graverobber ask. She glanced up and saw him sitting in a chair in a corner of the room. She nodded.

"It's no one's fault but your own," he said, standing up and walking towards her. Shilo scoffed and flashed him a deadly look.

"What? You got pissed off at me for lying- which I didn't plan on doing any longer, now you're pissed off at me for telling the truth? What do you want, hm? Want me to lie and say it was all my fault or tell the truth that we both had some blame for this?"

"How am I to blame, huh?" Shilo asked indignantly. Graverobber scoffed.

"Lemme guess. A ghost came into the house and carved you up like a fucking Christmas ham?"

Shilo looked down, trying not to cry.

"It wouldn't have happened if you had just told me the truth," she said.

"What makes you think I was going to lie to you all the fucking time? I planned on telling you before Ms. Sweet beat me to the punch. Fucking bitch," he said.

"You keep blaming her! Seriously? She's done nothing but-" Shilo began, only to be interrupted.

Graverobber threw up his hands in frustration and groaned.

"Damnit, Shilo! She's not what you think she is. I know."

"Then tell me! Stop lying to me and tell me the whole fucking truth! I'm tired of everyone lying to me because they think I can't handle it. Wanna know something? This is the cost of everyone thinking I'm nothing but a weak little girl," she said as she ripped off the gauze.

Graverobber grabbed her wrists, trying to be gentle of her cuts and not wanting her to hurt herself anymore.

"Stop it, Shilo!" he yelled, shaking her. Shilo collapsed against him, crying. Graverobber held her, trying to sooth her. After what seemed to be hours, she finally stopped.

"Please…just tell me. Please," she whispered, her hands clutching his jacket.

Graverobber nodded against her and pushed her down on the bed gently, holding her hand.

"I was 11 when my parents traded me to Nathan for an extension. They both were Graverobbers and I learned the trade from them. Pretty much meant nothing to them- they didn't even give me a real name. Just Graverobber."

"Nathan…told me he saw potential in me and trained me to become an Elite- the top of the Repo Men. That's how I met Tarja- she told you her mom was a surGen and her dad was an Elite. I worked with him. Tarja was Mommie Dearest's lab rat. It's why she looks the way she does. But on a side note, damn woman's got the best sense of humor of anyone I've ever known." Graverobber paused when he heard Shilo laugh softly.

"That she does," she said.

"Yeah. We grew close and looked after each other. Anyway…a few years later, Nathan took us to meet the Largos and that's where we met Carmela- or Amber, as she goes by now. Eventually, the three of us became friends and all that jazz. I was still training as an Elite, Tarja was a lab rat, and Carmela…I don't know."

"When Carmela was 16, she decided she wanted to have surgery. She told me she hated seeing her mother's face in the mirror and just…became addicted. Every month it was something new for her."

Shilo looked up at him. "You were in love with her." she stated.

Graverobber nodded. "We were…an item for a few years. But she changed. She became cruel. When Tarja almost died from an experiment, Carmela only had Tarja's mom give her painkillers instead of holding her hand. It was the last straw with me. She wasn't the person I loved. Not even fucking close. I couldn't deal with it and how she had jut deemed her appearance over relationships at that point."

"She -was- a good person- operative word being was. But after that first surgery, she grew distant. She stopped even visiting Tarja and only came to see me when she wanted sex."

"I still had to do what I had to do, though. Nathan thought of me as his protégée and trained me to become as hard assed as he was."

"But one night, I stopped. After a repo that wasn't supposed to happen, I left. Went back to my roots as your friendly neighborhood Graverobber. I actually saw you that night for the first time.'

"Where?"

"In the Graveyard. You were 14. Nathan had told me a bit about you, about how you liked bugs and stuff of that sort. I was the one who sent you those shadowboxes. Pretty damn hard thing to do, especially when you've got all of GeneCo after your goddamn ass."

They sat in silence, Graverobber having told her what he could bear to tell her. Nothing more, nothing less. At least for the time being.

"Is that why you hate Amber?" Shilo asked.

"It's not a matter of hate. It's indifference and anger. She just stopped caring. And as for what she's doing now…it just pisses me off. She wanted you to find out the way you did. She wants revenge. For everything she thinks went wrong. We all made mistakes, but she thinks she didn't."

"Shilo, listen to me. I love you. I really love you. And I'm not lying about that. None of this…none of what we've done together was a manipulation. It was because I wanted to be with you. It wasn't an act. It's not an act," Graverobber said as he took her in his arms and kissed her.

"Damn, you have no idea how glad I am that I didn't have to lock the two of you in here," Tarja said as she opened the door.

"Tarja…" Graverobber said, breaking the kiss and shooting her a dirty look.

"Aw, I can't watch?" Tarja laughed, walking over to Shilo. "Do you still wanna kill him?" she asked.

Shilo laughed. "No. Not for now, at least."

"Smart girl. She's catching on," Tarja said with a wink.

"But seriously, Shilo- are you going to be okay?" Tarja said, adopting her serious demeanor.

Shilo nodded, feeling tired.

"We'll let you rest for the night, okay? But in the morning, Naomi's going to come in and check on you," Tarja said, walking to Shilo to give her a hug.

Shilo found herself quite at ease with Tarja. And with Naomi. It seemed to her that Tarja, Naomi, and Graverobber had become a surrogate family to her. And she did care for them all.

Shilo laid back down, trying not to get tangled in the I.V. She shifted to the edge, wanting Graverobber to sleep with her.

Graverobber smiled and nodded, kicking off his shoes.

"Good night, guys. And if I hear anything out of the ordinary, Naomi and I will take it as a challenge," Tarja said as she walked off.

The door closed and Shilo looked up at Graverobber as he moved down beside her.

"She's crazy. I like it," Shilo said.

Graverobber laughed, feeling happy that Shilo was becoming herself again.

But this was going to be a long road for all of them. Graverobber had told her most of his secret life and he made a vow to himself to tell her everything when she felt better.

But not tonight. He'd had enough of his memories haunting him. He held Shilo a kissed her shoulder, feeling peaceful as she snuggled against him.

"Does this count as a fight?" she asked randomly.

"I guess…" Graverobber said, somewhat confused.

"What do couples usually do after fights?" she asked, pressing against him suggestively.

Graverobber chuckled and nibbled her ear.

"Oh, they argue and scream. Have an epiphany. Than usually go at it like animals," he laughed.

"Really?"

"Usually. But if the other party is injured, the make-up sex is required a minimum of a two day wait."

Shilo groaned. "Damnit. I was this close."


	16. Of Gods And Men

Graverobber woke up, feeling a small hand stroke his face. He quickly looked to Shilo, who was half awake, her eyes half open.

"I know there's still some things you're not telling me. And it's okay…for now. But…you're going to have to tell me everything one day. I don't want anymore secrets or lies. Please," she whispered, before falling asleep again.

Graverobber took her hand and kissed the palm, whispering his promise to her before he left the bed. It was morning and there was…a lot to get done. More to explain.

He moved to open the door, only to have Naomi open it from the other side, her small doctor's bag at her side.

"Hey. I take it everything worked out okay?" she asked Graverobber.

"Yeah."

"Good. I just wanted to check on her vitals. Is she still asleep?"

"Yeah, but she was awake a little before you came in," Graverobber said as he stepped aside, letting Naomi in the room to take care of Shilo.

He walked into the kitchen and saw Tarja looking through thick folders, setting some to the side.

"Plans for world domination?" he asked, looking through a random stack.

"On my part, not yet. On GeneCo's, however…pretty much," Tarja said, looking up.

"Do you remember when we were kids and Amber kept asking Rotti to take us on their trip 'outside'?" she asked, looking down.

"What about it?"

"Once a year, for about two weeks, the Largos would leave the island. I've got their receipts here. It's what I've been looking at," she continued.

"When the NOS epidemic started, only certain groups were affected, like certain diseases such as Tay-Sachs and Fatal Familial Insomnia only affected certain ethnic groups. But with NOS, since it affected a larger group and even caused healthy people to become carriers, the affected and the carriers were put under quarantine. There's a purchase here from the early 2000's- when the NOS epidemic first started- for an island roughly the size of Hawaii in the Mediterranean Sea. GeneCo purchased it and renamed it "Sanitarium Island". Home Sweet Home, huh?" Tarja laughed mirthlessly.

Graverobber opened his mouth to speak, but Tarja cut him off quickly.

"The purpose of the island was to serve as quarantine for anyone affected by NOS or the carriers. The thing is, the epidemic ended- NOS was eradicated shortly before Rotti's brothers died. But after they died and Rotti took control, there were still monthly withdrawals from GeneCo's company account and there were manifests of supplies to care for the population of this island."

"Tarja…what are you saying?" Graverobber asked. He prayed that what he was thinking was wrong.

"What do you think I'm saying? Graverobber, we're lab rats. Since 2006, this whole island has been under control of the Largos and GeneCo. Rotti thought of himself as a savior and in truth the fucking asshole was a megalomaniac. GeneCo created the NOS virus. They spread it and altered it to affect certain people- it wasn't a racial or ethnic thing, nothing like that- the Largos just wanted to get enough people sick to rule over," she finished.

Graverobber stood frozen, disgusted and appalled. Things began falling into place.

"The repos…they supported this whole thing. That's how they kept it going on for so long," he said. Tarja nodded and handed him another stack of papers.

"Read those. Those are going on 5 months of progress reports from Amber- since she's become CEO of GeneCo. From the Human Rights Commission. Apparently, GeneCo has been short on the payments since Amber's taken control. That's why she wants the files from the Elite. Partly because she wanted Shilo to know about…well, you. But  
I think the bigger reason is because the Elite were the money makers for the Repo world. From what I've been reading, if Amber or GeneCo is short another month, there's going to be an inquiry. External funding would be cut, and the whole world the Largos built themselves to rule over would fall," Tarja said, finishing.

Silence filled the kitchen as Graverobber flexed his fingers back and forth. His rage was surfacing- towards the Largos. Towards GeneCo. What gave them the right to deem themselves God? Who gave them the right? Was this what they wanted to rule over- a country filled with addicts, people struggling to make their payments just for another day to live with their loved ones? This wasn't life. This wasn't anything but being dolls- pawns in a game for the amusement of others.

Naomi walked in, breaking the silence.

"She's going to be fine," she said, nodding her head to Shilo's room. "Her temperature is a little high so I'm going to do a quick blood test in the lab and I'll be back."

* * *

Naomi waited minutes for the results to come back, her fingers on her temples, rubbing them. She knew Tarja had told Graverobber what they'd found out. She also knew Graverobber was inches away from losing control and flat out burning GeneCo to the ground.

It had been a long night for her and Tarja- they had spent the night reading through the files that Naomi had liberated from GeneCo, pieces of the puzzle finally coming into place after all these years.

GeneCo had created the NOS virus- under contract. GeneCo dealt in more than organ repossessions and financing- the Largos had created GeneCo for the purpose of genetic engineering, genetic manipulation. For years, they'd had the perfect, unsuspecting guinea pigs to test on.

From what she and Tarja had read of the progress reports, they were all lies. It was not a safe, protected haven meant for the betterment of mankind and for the purposes it had stated. It was nothing more than a front for the Largos to play God.

Naomi sighed as the timer went off, signaling the results were ready from Shilo's blood test. She pulled up the screen and went over the results, noting the chemicals in her blood were normal and not elevated, except for a certain few. She groaned loudly, smacking her palm to her forehead as she saw what was elevated. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this point.

She walked upstairs, her arms crossed as she saw Graverobber looking over more papers.

"So…our friendly neighborhood Graverobber. What'cha been up to?" Naomi asked mischievously, wanting to gauge his response.

"What have I done this time?" he asked incredulously.

"This, that, I suppose. Uhm…tell me…your Zydrate gun, you usually keep it well protected, right?" she asked, tilting her head to the side, drawing it out.

Tarja looked at Naomi, her mouth dropping into a perfect circle as she absorbed what Naomi was saying. Tarja turned to Graverobber, her face still frozen.

"…In many cases, ladies. Someone please let me in on the joke," he said, rolling his eyes and throwing his hands in the air.

"I just hope to God the kid takes after Shilo and not you," Naomi chuckled as she went back downstairs, Tarja sitting at the table, laughing.

"Kid? What the fuck?" he asked, confused -still-.

" If it's a girl, name the baby after me," Tarja laughed, walking away.

"Ah, fuck," Graverobber groaned.

* * *

Amber went over pages and files, trying her best to come up with a progress report that wouldn't get HRC to the island. She worked hard to finally get Shilo to have progress with the files, and needed to call her. Soon. If she could rebuild the Elite, the Repos would continue- at a more efficient rate. That, and Shilo would find out about Graverobber.

Amber scoffed, throwing the pages down. She closed her eyes, trying to block out memories of her childhood- to think that she actually _begged_ her dad to bring Graverobber and Tarja with them when they left the island…

_"But daddy…they're my friends. And hasn't Graverobber worked hard enough?" an eleven year old Carmela asked, tugging on her father's jacket sleeve._

_"They can't, little one. It's better for them to stay on the island. Maybe next year," Rotti said, patting her head before walking away._

_Carmela sighed, turning around and running down to the training room. She took a seat next to Tarja, holding her friend's hand as Tarja fought back tears of pain and frustration. Mommie Dearest had performed another surgery on Tarja, wanting to test a new stitching pattern and sinew._

_"Can we come?" Tarja asked, looking at Carmela. Carmela shook her head sadly, hugging Tarja. Tarja sighed heavily._

_"He said maybe next year," Carmela replied, wishing she could take her friends away for a while._

Amber shook her head, throwing that memory to the back of her mind. She had more important things to take care of. She had promises to keep.

* * *

Shilo woke up, stretching. She noticed her I.V. was unhooked and sat up slowly, wanting to get out of the bed.

She vaguely remembered Naomi taking her vitals and drawing some blood, now she wondered where everyone was.

She made her way to the kitchen slowly, still tired and weak from the events of last night.

She saw Graverobber sitting at the table, his head in his hands.

Shilo walked over to him, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"You okay?" she asked, stroking his shoulder.

"Yeah. Just…it's been a hell of a morning," Graverobber said, moving a hand over hers.

"Shilo. I need to tell you something. And I…well. Damnit!" he groaned, not knowing what to say.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

Graverobber turned to her and held her, his head against her stomach…where their child was already growing.

"Graverobber…look at me," she said, drawing him up, even though he towered over her. "What's going on?" she asked, looking into his eyes.

"Please don't hate me," he whispered.

"No secrets. No lies. Please. What is going on?" she repeated.

"Shilo…you're pregnant," he said softly, looking down in shame.

"…What?" she asked, not quite comprehending what he had just said.

"You're pregnant."

Shilo moved her hands from his, putting them over her stomach. She could feel her heart beating loudly through her chest and it felt as if she was going to faint.

"H-how long?" she whispered, swaying slightly. Graverobber sat her down on the chair and kneeled in front of her, his hands on her shoulders.

"Naomi said about two months," Graverobber said, steeling himself for a barrage of hatred against him. Minutes passed, Graverobber keeping his head down, eyes closed. He heard Shilo sigh shakily, as she lifted his head to look at her.

Shilo took one of his hands from her shoulder, placing it over her stomach. She placed her hand over his, accepting what he had told her.

"I'm sorry for-" he began, only to have Shilo shush him.

"Don't be. Please, don't be sorry for this. Believe me, I'm terrified, but not sorry."

Graverobber nodded, swallowing back the lump that had been building in his throat. Shilo wrapped her arms around him and kissed him, letting her actions show what her words could never express.

* * *

**Author's Note: I apologize for the long wait! My boyfriend and I had a house fire at the beginning of June and it's been a very difficult process for us to get back on our feet. We've moved into our new place on the 13****th**** and have spent the past few weeks getting settled with it. We've yet to get internet here and I'm at my parent's to upload this, but we will have internet HOPEFULLY by next Friday. Thank you all for your patience and support with this! MWAH!**

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	17. Opheliac

Graverobber and Shilo spent the rest of the week with Naomi and Tarja. Shilo was still oblivious to so much, and the others wanted to her to have at least a few days where she wasn't carrying the burden of the world on her shoulders.

Shilo felt lost and unwanted, suddenly. Everytime she walked into a room, Graverobber, Naomi, and Tarja would suddenly stop talking and. It hurt her. She didn't understand the sudden shift in their behavior.

Shilo spent most of her time in the room Tarja had 'given' to her. She'd spend hours on her back, rubbing her growing stomach. She'd speak to the child growing inside her, telling stories and wondering about the future.

"I just don't know what it's going to be like when you come out, little one. I don't know if it'll be safe or happy. But when you do come out, know that you've already got people who love you. Me, your daddy, and...well, let's just call them Aunt Tarja and Aunt Naomi for now," she whispered.

She heard the door open and looked up. Naomi walked in with her medical kit, smiling at Shilo.

"Hey, kiddo. How've you been feeling?" she asked as she sat next to Shilo.

"Physically, fine. Just tired."

"What about non-physically?"

"Upset."

"Why?" Naomi asked, looking up at Shilo as she listened to her heartbeat.

"Are you guys mad at me?"

"What? Why would you think that, sweetie?" Naomi asked, concerned.

"Every single time I walk into a room with you, Graverobber, and Tarja, you guys just stop talking and it seems like you keep waiting for me to leave."

Naomi sighed and bit her lip, trying to think of what to say.

Shilo sighed and moved to roll over, tired of everyone holding things back from her.

Naomi put a comforting hand on Shilo's shoulder. Shilo shrugged it off and moved further away. Naomi held back tears and left Shilo alone.

Shilo curled up into a ball, shifting as she felt the baby move.

"I know. I'm annoyed, too."

* * *

"She's upset. She thinks we're angry with her and we're not. Tarja, you're the one who convinced Graverobber no more lies or secrets. Shouldn't that apply to us, too?" Naomi asked as she walked into the kitchen, moving to the counter and leaning against it. The table was littered with papers regarding GeneCo and the experimentation. Tarja took a deep breath and tilted her chair back, putting her hands on her head.

"I know. It does. But if Amber wants to meet with Shilo, we don't know what's going to happen, Naomi. I guarantee that she knows Shilo's found the files for the Elite and is wanting to gauge her reaction. Amber knows Shilo and Graverobber have a relationship. She wants Shilo hurt and she wants those files. If she has Shilo in her corner, Amber's got another little doll to play with. We need a plan, babe."

Naomi kicked her legs against the cabinets, knowing Tarja was right. They couldn't afford to make any mistakes, especially now.

"What are we going to do if Amber calls?" Naomi asked, looking down.

"Let it leave a message and bury the damn phone," Graverobber spoke as he walked in the room. He'd spent most of the day at Shilo's house, keeping things in order and locking the safe again. He wanted Amber to believe Shilo was still unaware.

"Nice to see you too, handsome," Tarja said, not looking up from the papers.

"Is she okay?" he asked Naomi.

"No. She thinks we're upset with her. I had half a mind to tell her pregnancy tends to make you paranoid, but I couldn't. Right now, we're up shit creek."

Graverobber left the room to go see Shilo.

* * *

Shilo was still sulking, growing more frustrated by the lack of answers around her. They were supposed to be her friends. Why couldn't they be honest?

She heard the door open. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Graverobber approach the bed.

"Hey, Firefly," he said, sitting beside her.

"Go away."

"What have I done to offend you this time?" he asked sarcastically.

"It's not what you're doing. It's what everyone's not telling me. You promised no more secrets, but every time I walk by a room, all of you clam up like you suddenly had your lips sewn shut."

Graverobber waited a few moments before he spoke.

"What do you want to know?" he asked.

"Everything! I'm tired of being kept in the dark like this!" Shilo yelled, sitting up in the bed and throwing a pillow at Graverobber.

"Do we really need to act like a child, Shilo?" he asked.

Shilo opened her mouth to speak, then closed it quickly. She was annoyed and didn't want to speak impulsively.

"I'll tell you this much. We're not mad at you. Not even for turning yourself into a human pincushion. The thing is, we need to be careful, now. Fuckin' Amber has a lot more power with everything than you think, Shilo. She knows that you've seen the files and she knows that you've found out about me," Graverobber spoke stoically.

Shilo nodded slowly and leaned into Graverobber.

"There are other things too. Aren't there?" she asked as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Yes. But to tell you the truth, it's not my story to tell. Later on, Tarja is going to have a talk with you. And you're going to be shocked, Firefly."

* * *

Amber woke up with a start. She'd had another nightmare again. Where everything crashed down and all promises were broken.

She'd already broken a promise to her mother, and it was one that she regretted the most. That's why she was doing what she needed to do. But it was hard. She kept hearing her father's voice, making her promise the exact opposite.

She was growing more confused each day. She didn't know who to trust- who would be there to save her from drowning in the sea.

She sat up, staring at a small photo on her nightstand. It was a picture of her, Graverobber, and Tarja when they were younger. Without hesitation, she grabbed the photo frame and threw it against the wall. The sound of broken glass sounded like music to her ears.

She was not to blame. They were. They left her. They didn't care enough to stay, care enough to save her.

The pressure was mounting on her. She felt her world crumbling down. Amber needed those files. It was the only way to keep both her promises, contradictory though they may be. Her promise to her father- to keep GeneCo thriving, no matter what. Her promise to her mother- to live a life worth living and change the world.

Amber leaned against the headboard, a dark smile crossing her face. Her plans were working, slowly. All she needed was a little more time.


	18. Best Laid Plans

Shilo's jaw dropped.

"You're kidding, right? It's national "Play Jokes On The Pregnant Girl Day", right?" Shilo blurted out, still shaken with what she'd been told.

Tarja finally bit the bullet and decided to tell Shilo as much as they knew. Granted, it was a lot for anyone to handle all at once, but with Naomi and Graverobber needling her, she finally broke.

"I wish I were, Shilo. I really do," Tarja said softly.

Shilo was taken aback. She'd known Amber to be manipulative, but never could have imagined how truly...desperate she was. The people on this island weren't science projects or slaves- they were human beings- people with dreams, hopes, ambitions who were buried underneath a dark sky and smog filled air tainted with decay and corpses.

She was being used. All she seemed to be to people was a pawn in a game that was never going to end. On one side, Amber and GeneCo. On the other...the people she'd grown to love. She looked at their faces across the table. Tarja's eyes were pleading for her to understand. Naomi's face was full of concern. Graverobber's face...it was stoic. Nothing could be read. Shilo would've figured that he'd at least be comforting, but he made no attempt.

"I've got some business to take care of. I'll be back later," he said, not even bothering to say good-bye. Shilo wadded up a piece of paper and aimed it at him, only to have Naomi catch it mid-air.

"You're his kryptonite right now, Shilo," Naomi said.

"What?"

"Never mind. Never mind."

"Shilo, this is what's going on. We need you to do this. Do you really want to continue living in this ant farm while Amber aims sunlight and a magnifying glass at all of us?" Tarja asked softly. Shilo shook her head and bit her lip, fighting off tears.

"This is the deal, sweetie. Amber thinks you're on her side right now and it gives us an advantage. I know for a fact that your dad took Graverobber under his wing and if Amber mentions a file missing, look shocked or confused. Most of the Elite are dead right now, and Amber thinks a lot of them are still alive. In truth, only two are. My dad and Graverobber. The rest died shortly after in one way or another."

"Amber's slipping up. Something's gone wrong with her. She's breaking down completely and as much as it hurts to say it, it's good for us. With this pressure she's under, there is bound to be an inquiry from the HRC."

"Wait. Why is she slipping?" Shilo asked.

Tarja stopped short and looked at her hands.

"I think it's something to do with her mom. Partly why all the repos lately have been women who looked like Olivia and little girls who looked like Amber did when she was younger. I know she kept going on about a promise when we were teenagers," Tarja said.

Shilo nodded and sighed.

"So smile and lie through my teeth?"

"Pretty much. And another thing. Do -not- let her know you are pregnant. This month has two more weeks in it and you're not going to start showing for a while, but do not let her know," Naomi said seriously.

Shilo nodded again and wrapped her arms around her stomach, still confused and tired.

* * *

_"And addicted to the knife, she needs a little help with the agony."  
_  
Amber gasped and turned around quickly, dropping the folders she'd been carrying.

She saw Graverobber standing in the doorway, absent-mindedly checking his fingernails.

"Get out of here. NOW. Before I-" she began, only to have him interrupt her.

"No one really to call, Carmela. With what they've got in their systems, they'll be out a good while," he smirked.

"What did you do?"

"Heh. I still remember where you hid your personal stash, m'dear."

Amber gasped and ran past him, down through the halls of GeneCo until she arrived in her bedroom. She threw open her small jewelery box hidden at the bottom of her closet and let out a scream. He'd taken her Zydrate.

_"And a little helps comes in a little glass vial that goes into the gun like a battery."_

"And we all know Z's getting more and more expensive, pet," Graverobber said as he approached her from behind, pressing the Zydrate gun against her neck.

"It doesn't matter. Pretty soon, it's going to change," Amber laughed softly.

"I'm sure it will."

"But tell me, Graverobber. I'm dying to know. How did the kid look at you when she found out? Hmm? Was it the same way you looked at me after I had surgery?" Amber taunted.

Graverobber growled threateningly. "That is none of your fucking business."

Amber laughed again. Graverobber injected her with the Zydrate and let her fall to the floor, not even caring if she would be hurt in the fall or not.

He left her there as he went to the office, looking through the papers she'd dropped. He found a letter from the HRC, informing about lack of payment and the possibility of an inquiry being set up soon.

He took that and left. He knew Amber probably didn't read it. The less she knew, the better.

* * *

"Did I do something to make you angry?" Shilo asked as she heard the door open and close.

"You're supposed to be asleep, Firefly," Graverobber said as he walked in behind her, running her shoulders.

"Did I?"

"No."

"Why were you so...I don't know. Distant earlier?" she asked.

"I had something to take care of."

"Really? What would that be?" Shilo asked, a note of humor in her voice.

"It's never polite to ask the playwright how the play will end."

Shile laughed, secure he was being as honest with her as he could- without hurting her.

"I don't like lying," she said suddenly.

"I know. But let's be honest, you never know which face of the day Amber's going to wear, either."


	19. Turning The Tables

"These are the files, Amber. The ones I found," Shilo said, sliding over a stack across the desk. Her heart was beating loudly as she tried to remember what Naomi and Tarja had told her. She just had to lie- she hadn't found Graverobber's folder and wanted nothing to do with him, if Amber asked.

Amber looked through the files wearily, and it struck Shilo how much older she seemed. They were about 5 years apart, but Amber seemed so much older. Must have been the weight of secrets and lies on her conscience.

Amber leafed through them, her mind making mental notes of those listed. All were there, except one.

"These are the ones you said you found?" she asked.

Shilo nodded. "I don't know if there are anymore. Anywhere. I've looked on the computers, through the safe, everywhere I can think of."

Amber sucked air in through her teeth. Damnit. Everything this kid did was half-assed and it was pushing her buttons.

Shilo took a deep breath, trying to remember the rest of the plan.

"How many more are there supposed to be?" she asked.

"Just one."

"What?! That fucking bastard!" Shilo yelled, jumping up from her chair. Her heart was racing not from fury, but adrenaline. This was the plan. They needed to make Amber think Shilo and Graverobber weren't together in any way- it protected Shilo from Amber's unpredictable actions and allowed Graverobber time to get what he needed.

"Shilo, what happened?" Amber asked, genuinely shocked.

Shilo spoke quickly, trying to get it all out so Amber would believe it.

"I was visiting my parent's graves and went to the house and I saw him in there. And I thought I could trust him and I saw he had a folder or something in his arms. He told me some story about how it was a client list or...something. I can't remember. He ran out the house and left. I haven't seen him since. But...Amber, if those are files for the Elite, was he one? He...he doesn't seem that old."

Amber was smiling on the inside, but her outward look showed sympathy and pity.

"He was the youngest, actually. Your dad trained him. The reason why I needed these files was so I can find them to stop the Repos, Shilo. I'm sorry if it seemed like I was pressuring you, but I was also doing it to protect you. Graverobber's a monster. He's a murderer," Amber said, gently patting Shilo's hand. Amber stood up and went to a filing cabinent on the other side of the room.

Shilo quickly looked over her desk and saw several envelopes, but there was one that seemed set off to the the side. She could make out the words "FINAL" in thick, red print and figured it was from HRC. She grabbed it quickly and hid it insider her jacter, slightly smiling to herself.

"_Shilo: Spy Extrordiare..."_ she thought to herself. She heard Amber's heels click behind her and quickly set her face in stone with a solemn gaze.

Amber sat down and looked at the desk, slightly panicking.

"Damnit!"

"What?" Shilo asked.

Amber bit her cheek. "I just...I just can't keep track of things now, I guess. I keep losing things."

"I'm sorry. At least you don't need to worry about the files, though."

"Yeah."

Shilo stood up to leave, slightly shaking.

* * *

"You have no idea how many thank yous are in order for this," Shilo said as she put the envelope down on the kitchen table. Naomi and Tarja were drinking coffee and Graverobber was still out.

"Graverobber can thank you more appropriately, I'm sure," Tarja said as she opened the letter, scanning it.

Shilo felt her stomach roll and ran to the bathroom, morning sickness taking over her.

Tarja smiled as Naomi went to check on Shilo. She wouldn't admit it, but she was rather shocked and pelased with Shilo and how she was changing. She was getting braver, growing up more in many ways.

Shilo walked out of the bathroom, a cool cloth on her head. Naomi was leading her to her room for rest.

Naomi returned and saw Tarja smiling.

"What's up?"

"This was the last notice. They're coming to the island in a month."

* * *

Graverobber hid in the shadows, a dark smile growing on his face.

He was never a cruel person, nor did he take pleasure in his cruel acts. But what he was doing was done to protect Shilo. And Naomi and Tarja.

The dead Repo Man lay covered in blood, his mask removed and eyes gouged out. Graverobber had the forged orders for Tarja and Naomi in his jacket and thought of the smell of the orders burning, melting in the wind and leaving thick and dark smoke.

Whatever the cost, he was going to do what he needed to do to protect the ones he loved.

To protect; no longer to destroy.


	20. Desperation

"Where the fuck are the letters?!" Amber screamed, flinging papers and folders off her desk. Pavi and Luigi were trying to calm her down, to no avail. Panic swelled in Amber's chest as she tore open the drawers. No, no, no, no. It can't be working like this. Not now. Not now- of all times. She finally had the ammunition she needed. She would not allow all she's worked for to fall like this. She felt Luigi's hands on her arms. Turning on her heel, she slapped him hard. Luigi staggered back, his hand to his cheek.

"Sister, please-" Pavi began, only to have Amber interrupt.

"Get the fuck out. Both of you. NOW!" Amber screamed, throwing paperweights and papers at her brothers. They both ran out of the room, slamming the door loudly behind them.

Amber quickly walked to the secret door, typing in the number. The stale air in the room hit her, making her gag. She knew something was wrong instantly. The room had a fresh air supply and was circulated. Someone had been in here.

She walked slowly to the glass coffins in the center of the room, shaking with fury and fear. The glass lids had been shattered and she could smell ashes.

Silent tears fell down her cheeks as she saw smouldering ashes in her father's casket, while her mother's casket was merely broken. There was a piece of paper in it, gently placed on top of the ashes. She picked it up gingerly, pure hatred flowing through her heart.

_"Your dad didn't suffer enough. Your mom's suffering was undeserved. You praised your father and denied your mother. Instead of blaming your father for signing the order, you blamed me- when I knew nothing of who she was. The game ends. Now."_

* * *

Graverobber watched Shilo and Tarja play cards at the table, slightly relieved with the way things were going. Hopefully, Amber would take the hint and stop it- stop everything she was trying to do. He saved Tarja and Naomi- deleted them from the system of GeneCo after he had sedated Amber with her Zydrate. And Shilo...Shilo was safe for now. She was playing her part well, despite her trepidation with the new situation. Shilo shifted her head from the cars as Tarja counted the points in the hand, smiling at Graverobber. He returned her smile with an equally warm one, finding it somewhat odd that they were...'settling' into domestic living.

He thought to himself of what would happen in a month's time- when this nightmare would be over. When they'd be able to leave this island- not just him and Shilo, but Tarja, Naomi, and however many other people would want to live a life away from the stench and decay of the damned island.

The future was something he had never given much thought to, until recently.

Naomi walked through the door, her face ghostly pale.

"You guys need to see this," she said, her voice small and broken. Tarja held her hand and walked with her to the living room, Graverobber and Shilo close behind them.

They turned to the t.v. and saw that Amber was in front of the GeneCo. building, camera lights flashing. Amber was smiling, a tight red slash against her mouth.

"Ms. Sweet, you've stated numerous times that the Repo policy of your father's tenure would change when you became C.E.O. of GeneCo. Could you tell us what you plan on doing?" a reporter close to Amber asked.

"Yes, I'd be glad to. As you all know, the policies of my father were placed for a reason. He wanted to save people- people who had no choice, no options, no way out. That is why he extended the deadlines for repossession orders frequently- completely disregarding the companies financial well-being in order to give life to the people. As C.E.O., I have tried to keep his policy in action, believing it would be the right thing to do in the wake of his death. But after seeing both the financial strain and even the strain among the population, I believe it's time to change the policy."

"With the help of two long time employees, Anders Klimt and his wife Lisabetta, we are moving the company and the policies in a new direction."

Tarja began to shake, her eyes filling with tears at seeing the faces of her parents. She suddenly knew where this was going- the change in repos, the drugs that the kids had been given...

"As of this day forth, Repos will apply to -everyone- who is late of their monthly payments. We cannot continue to allow the nonpayment of fund for services rendered to hinder the growth of GeneCo, nor allow others who need organs to continue to be wait-listed. Gentern Lisabetta Klimt has developed a drug that enables others to live while their organs fail- while they wait for the right organ. But we cannot allow dereliction of payment to prevent others from living. Now, if you'll excuse me-"

Tarja walked up to the t.v. and slammed the power button, shaking in fury.

"She found out, somehow. She found out that HRC is coming next month. That's what that fucking show was. If she gets the money before they come, this will never end."

Shilo cried, not knowing it. Graverobber wrapped his arms around her, trying to soothe her. They all should have known better. Desperation is the greatest motivator on this island.

They were all running out of time.


	21. Fight or Flight

Everyone was asleep in the house. Shilo remained awake, feeling numb. Betrayed. Used. Gently, she lifted Graverobber's arm from her waist and left the bed, shaking with sadness.

She walked to the kitchen and sat down at the table, still littered with papers stolen from GeneCo, trying to understand how this had happened. Trying to understand why she didn't see this coming. How could she still be so trusting? So optimistic?

She noticed the pack of cigarettes on the table and moved them to her, taking one out and fumbling with the lighter, trying to figure out how to light it.

"You even put that in your mouth, I'll rip out the filter and have you smoke the whole pack," she heard Graverobber speak, his voice rumbling as he took the now lit cigarette from her.

"It wouldn't be good for the baby," Shilo said absently.

"Yet, here you were, about to light one."

"Better than dragging a scalpel across my arms," she said sullenly.

"So you think hurting yourself's going to suddenly cause Amber to have a change of heart?" Graverobber asked. Shilo felt tears filling her eyes and made no attempt to hold them off.

"I thought I was doing the right thing with this," she said. Graverobber wrapped his arms around her, understanding. He felt partly responsible for this- for Shilo's pain. He, Naomi, and Tarja never should have tried to get her more involved in this than she already was. It wasn't right for Shilo to have to bear this weight.

"What's going to happen now?" Shilo asked, her arms wrapped around Graverobber's neck. He kissed her temple and stroked her hair, whispering.

"It's fight or flight now, Firefly."

* * *

Amber thought she would be asleep by now. She had a small victory. This was all she needed. Within two weeks, she'd be clear of HRC coming to the island. Two weeks. She had bought herself enough time, but even with this victory, she still felt defeated.

This was only one part of what she wanted. Just one part.

She knew in reality what she wanted more than anything- for Graverobber to admit what he'd done. For her father to admit what he'd done. For her mother to come back.

But these were just dreams. Foolish ones at that. She knew in this world, in this place, you have to throw dreams away. You needed to let the monster rise and steal, take, destroy to survive here. To win.

She was never going to lose again. She would make damn sure of that. Amber had already taken the first step. Oh, she promised change- this was the change she was going to enact and if it wasn't 'popular', fuck it. This plan was what was going to keep the island going. The people should be on their fucking hands and knees thanking her for finding a way to keep their lives going the way they were.

Instead, there was chaos. GeneCops had been called out in full force, doing what was needed to be done. In a way, she was grateful for the chaos. All the dead bodies provided new income, new organs, and precious Zydrate.

One victory against HRC was done. She needed to work on getting even right now- nothing personal of course- she thought. Just to keep balance. Just to keep balance...

Graverobber. Naomi. Tarja. Shilo.

It wasn't for revenge, she told herself. Balance simply needed to be restored- in her favor.

Amber had to put Naomi and Tarja back in the system as high-alert Repos- Graverobber's actions had worked momentarily. but these games were getting old.

And as for Shilo...Amber knew the damned kid was lying. She knew that Shilo was still seeing Graverobber- just not the extent. Amber knew Shilo would be on her high horse regarding the fact that Graverobber was a RepoMan, but she also knew the kid was too trusting, too forgiving.

More ammunition, Amber thought, a sick smile crossing her face.

* * *

Graverobber had brought Shilo back to bed, firmly holding her, afraid of what she might do to herself. He knew she was feeling guilty- guilty for actions of others- something she had no control over. He knew the sadness she was feeling. He noticed how she kept one hand over her stomach, as if she were able to protect their baby from what would happen. He held her tighter against him, wanting to give her the reassurance she needed.

"Graverobber?" Shilo said, her voice snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Hm?"

"Tell your child to stop kicking me."

The seriousness of her voice made him laugh as he spread his hand over her slowly growing womb, feeling the small, rippling movements of their child.

Shilo rolled over and faced him, placing her hand on his cheek and stroking it, the rough stubble of his face grazing over her palm.

"It's going to get more difficult now, isn't it?" Shilo asked.

Graverobber nodded, knowing what she was talking about.

"Remember how I told you it was either fight or flight earlier?" he asked. She nodded.

"We've got to fight her. Then we can leave. It's just going to me more complicated now. But no matter what, we're getting the fuck out of here."

Shilo kissed him, hard, as if she wanted to absorb the promise of his words. She knew it would be hard, but she also knew she'd rather die than have their child be born in this hell.


	22. Whispers Of Revolution

_It was the yelling that woke her up. Carmela lightly walked over to her father's door, her two brothers already there, ears pressed._

_"What's happening?" she whispered, worried._

_Pavi looked to her sadly. "Marni and Pappa are fighting."_

_Worried, she shouldered her two brothers out of the way and place her ear to the door, confused._

_"You fucking liar, Rotti Largo! How long have you been planning on doing this? Was this your whole plan, keeping this island locked up while you play God?" Marni's voice screamed. The three children heard glasses breaking and heard the deep rumble of their father's voice._

_"You knew how this would be, Marni. I explained this to you and yet, you run to Wallace! Whore!"_

_A slap was heard and the kids gasped, afraid of what was happening. They heard footsteps coming towards the door and quickly ran to hide. From their spot, they could see the door open, Marni walking out, a determined look on her face. Carmela saw Marni and ran to her, crying._

_"Please don't leave," she cried, wrapping her arms around Marni. Marni held Carmela close, letting tears fall._

_"I have to."_

_Carmela pushed her away and ran, trying to hide from the pain she felt she was always going to feel- the pain of being left._

* * *

Graverobber walked to a seldom used hall, a canvas bag over his shoulder. He held a small key in his hand, his eyes staring blankly into the distance.

The hallway seemed long, partly because he hadn't walked down it in years- not since he left GeneCo. He was apprehensive- even though this house now belonged to Tarja, when her father had lived here...he sill had memories of the training room.

The stale air of the room hit him- he could smell dried blood, sweat, and decay. The room was large and the walls were metal. There were several punching bags, and in the center of the room sat a chair with straps- practice Repos...

A set look on his face, he dropped the canvas bag on the floor. Even though the room was cold, he took off his shirt. He knew from experience he'd build up a sweat from what he would do. He knelt down and opened the bag, pulling out a pair of sais. He hadn't used them in ages, but they were his preferred weapon for his Repos. The memories of the people he Repo'd flashed through his mind, making him sick.

But this was different. He wasn't going to hurt anyone for a profit. It was to defend. He told himself this over and over, his fingertips running over the modified blades, sharp and serrated. He took a deep breath, standing up and flexing his muscles.

He walked up to one of the punching bags, positioning it in the middle of the room, chaining it up to the modified chain. He flipped a switch on the side of the wall, allowing the punching bag to move on the chain freely over the room, its path random.

Graverobber closed his eyes and listened. Within moments, his years of training kicked in. As the punching bag was about to hit him, he opened his eyes and began to attack- kicks and slashes against the bag before retreating.

After several attacks, the monster inside him woke. He became more aggressive in his attacks, all while thinking of Shilo. Of Naomi. Of Tarja. Of his child.

Just as he was about to perform the finishing blow, the bag stopped, its casing torn and jagged with pieces of the stuffing coming out of the side. He turned his head towards the switch and saw Shilo, a worried expression on her face.

Shilo walked up to him, the worry dissolving into softness. She began to see, more clearly, how hard this had been for him, how much harder it was going to be for him. He didn't ask to be caught up in this any farther than he already was and she felt responsible.

Graverobber was panting heavily, sweat covering his torso and face. Shilo walked up to him and lovingly wiped the sweat on his face away with the sleeve of her shirt.

"I'm sorry," she said, looking down, ashamed to meet his eyes. She heard the clank of his weapons falling to the ground and struggled to fight her tears as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

"You've done nothing wrong, Shilo."

"I don't feel that way. I didn't want anyone to get hurt at all and I feel like everyone worrying about me is going to pull them in deeper to all this shit that's going on."

"You've got no control of other people's actions or choices- only yours."

She nodded against him and looked up with a small smile.

Graverobber kissed her forehead and led her out of the room, closing the door.

* * *

"Something's going on," Naomi said, her hand stilling over Tarja's hair. Tarja looked up at her and nodded her head. She knew what Naomi was talking about.

They'd spent most of the day making love, grateful for a break from everything that kept happening.

Tarja was amazed that Naomi could look at her and not feel repulsion or disgust- feelings Tarja still felt from time to time when she would look at her reflection in the mirror. She'd lost count of the number of surgeries her mother had performed on her. But she could remember the one that hurt the most- losing a set of ribs 'for the greater good'. Having her scalp ripped off on one side and fused back together with another's to test a new grafting technique- again, all for the greater good.

She stood up to her mother once- when Mommie Dearest wanted to test a new sinew binding technique.

_"When a doctor wants a boat on the broad highways to float, she will find a place where sapheads congregate. She will chase them to a shed and at 50 bucks a head, she will freeze her conscience out and mutilate." _Tarja remembered reading the part of the poem and just said it to her mother.

For a moment, her mother looked shocked. It didn't last as she plunged the syringe into her daughter. Before passing out, Tarja could swear she saw a tear fall from her mother's eyes, her mouth whispering "I'm sorry".

Tarja shook her head, trying to free herself of the memories. Naomi saw Tarja's face and held her close, kissing the scars on her body.

Tarja calmed down and took deep breaths, knowing Naomi was lighting her a cigarette.

"I know. There's been more riots going on lately."

Naomi nodded her head, allowing Tarja to speculate.

"They're beginning to think...about everything. Amber's flip-flopping. Why Z's become more expensive."

"Yup."

"I guess what it really a revolution needs to begin is nothing more than a discontented whisper."

Naomi smiled and nodded.

"Seems like it's going to happen. Sooner than we all thought."


	23. Your Move

**Author's Note: Sorry for the wait! I've gotten over a really nasty cold finally and I've been busy with my theatre group planning our next show. Somewhat short chapter.**

* * *

It was hard to relax, even though the curtains were drawn and the lights were out. Graverobber had showered after spending time in the training room while Shilo spent some time with Naomi and Tarja. But the shower did nothing to relax him. His muscles remained taut, poised for action. He had no idea where this anxiety had suddenly come from- only knew that he was overcome by it. He remembered when these feelings would get to him as a young...trainee, he would merely spend hours in the training room, fighting out his aggression with weapons, hitting the punching bags until his knuckles were raw and bleeding.

But it wouldn't work this time. He had no desire to be in that room again after what he'd done in there today. After Shilo had left, he went back into the room, needing to release his anger, his rage. He couldn't keep it buried inside him without it coming out, bursting like a nebula and harming anyone near him. He just couldn't do it anymore. He already had a body count embedded into his memory; he didn't want to bear with it anymore...or until it needed to happen again.

He stood and and paced the room, his senses in alert mode. This was frustrating him to the point where he contemplated leaving the house, wandering the streets for a bit. He groaned heavily and sat on the bed, his face in his hands.

"Are you okay?" he heard Shilo ask, gently opening the door. He lifted his head up slowly, his mind still heavy with anxiety.

The light from the hall cast an etching light on Shilo. He could clearly make out her features- her doe brown eyes, the curves of her body, the swelling at her stomach where part of him already was.

Shilo walked over to him and placed her hand on his cheek, her face worried.

"Hey," she said, tilting his head up to look at her.

One look into her eyes and he thought of a brilliant way to ease his anxiety.

He said nothing as he stood and put her arms to her sides, his hands gently holding her wrists.

"Uhm..." Shilo began, wondering what he was doing. Her words were silenced as Graverobber gently kissed her. She smiled against his lips, hoping this would be leading to what she wanted.

He led her to the bed, gently pushing her down to the mattress. Shilo couldn't stop smiling as he took off his shirt and pants. Soon, he was nude and her smile broke, a serious expression crossing her face. She reached up to his arms and felt the taut muscles, saw the bruises from where the bag had hit him. He leaned down to her and moved to kiss her. Instead, Shilo lightly kissed his cheeks and kissed his bruised arms gently.

Her gentle actions made him smile, his eyes closed. There was a shift on the mattress as Shilo moved to bring down her Graverobber with her.

There was no rushing their love-making. They took their time with each other, enjoying the feel and sensations. Shilo joked about the baby and Graverobber would do something rather salacious to get her mind focused on them. In truth, he was laughing inside from her jokes. It seemed every day Shilo was growing a bit more into the young woman she should have already been before the drugs. Before the Opera.

"Now who's the one being distracted," Shilo asked, her voice husky as she playfully nipped his neck. The sudden sensation brought Graverobber out of his thoughts.

Afterwards, they spent holding each other. Shilo was asleep, a small smile on her face. Graverobber was still awake- no longer frustrated or anxious, but content. He tilted his head against Shilo and put his hand on her belly, feeling a rippling movement. He smiled again before falling off into sleep.

* * *

"DAMNIT PAVI! What did I tell you? What did I fucking -tell- you?!" Amber screamed, throwing her folders down as she saw a fresh new face on her brother. ?Scoffing in disgust, she walked over the body of the dead Gentern and punched Pavi. He recoiled, falling to the ground and whimpering.

"There's too much shit going on right now and you're getting a new fucking face? You're useless!" Amber screamed before walking out the room. She dialed a number and was patched through to a woman on the opposite end.

"Name, please?"

"...Carmela Largo."

"Patching you through now, Ms. Largo."

Amber waited, the muzak annoying her as she tapped her foot.

"Hello, Ms. Largo. To what do we owe this pleasure?" a smooth voice on the opposite end answered.

Amber took a deep breath, steeling herself. She needed to make this move, now or never.

"Hello, Agent Cameron. I take it you've received the reports, along with the film from the conference?" she said, her voice shifting suddenly to a smooth, calculating demeanor.

"Ms. Largo, you know the report was due nearly two weeks ago."

"Yes, I am well aware of that. But clearly, as our new contract states, deadlines may be extended due to circumstances beyond control."

"Would you happen to care to enlighten me regarding these circumstances, Ms. Largo?"

"Yes. You'll find them along with the report," Amber said sweetly.

The agent cast an aggravated sigh through the phone.

"All right. Let's dump the play nice shit for now, k?"

"Talk dirty to me, Agent."

"We both know this shit isn't going to last much longer."

"What makes you so sure of that, Agent? You know I've not been in violation of our contract."

"Bullshit. You and I both know what you did to push your agreement through to void your dad's."

"Oh, poor baby. Tell me- what make you angrier- the fact that I got my contract pushed through or the fact that I didn't fuck you to get it pushed through, hm?" Amber said, a malicious joy in her voice.

"It's not going to last forever, Carmela," Cameron said, putting a heavy emphasis on her real name. He was pleased when he heard the sharp intake of breath on the other end.

Amber took a deep breath, composing herself.

"Your move, Agent."


	24. Beauty in the Breakdown

"Shilo, I need you to come down to the lab soon, okay?" Naomi's voice rang through the door, gently knocking to wake Shilo up.

Shilo groaned and rolled over, not wanting to leave the bed.

"Ten more minutes," she mumbled, flipping herself over and wrapping the covers around her. The door opened and she felt familiar arms lift her up, the blanket still wrapped around her. Shilo groaned and leaned into Graverobber's chest.

"I thought pregnant girls were allowed to sleep in," she said, yawning and snuggling further into his chest. Graverobber chuckled and kissed her forehead.

"They are, but only after the doctor takes their DNA for cloning."

Shilo looked up at Graverobber, her mouth open in shock.

"Kidding."

"Not funny."

Graverobber chuckled and put her down. Shilo stretched more, working out the kinks in her body. She felt the baby shuffle inside her, seeming to stretch with its mother.

Shilo walked down the stairs and sat down at the kitchen table, waiting for Naomi. She watched Tarja come into the kitchen and head for the coffee as Graverobber made snarky comments to her.

"You know the rule. Comments after coffee or you die," she said, her eyes not leaving the pot.

Naomi walked quickly up the stairs and beckoned Shilo to follow her. Graverobber and Tarja followed close behind.

Naomi led her to a different part of the lab- there was a table in the middle and a machine that was currently black and fuzzy. Shilo had never seen one of these machines and hesitated.

"It' all right, Shilo. It's just a machine that's going to take pictures of the baby. It's not going to hurt either of you," Naomi said, taking Shilo by the hand and gently walking her over to the machine. Shilo gulped despite Naomi's reassurances.

Tarja and Graverobber gathered around Shilo while Naomi put gel on her stomach. They stared at the screen with anticipation as the picture made faint outlines. Naomi's eyes were beginning to water as she paused at a blip on the screen.

"See that? That's where the heart is," she said softly. Shilo craned her head and looked at the picture, her eyes focusing on the pulsating dot. She smiled and looked at Graverobber, who's eyes were growing shiny from unshed tears. She laughed inwardly at both him and Tarja- who already had tears falling down; she knew they tend to hold emotions inside and it was amazing that such a small moment could change it. Shilo turned her head back to the monitor as Graverobber reached for her hand.

Naomi began to move the wand over her stomach again, writing notes on a sheet and smiling. She moved the wand over Shilo again and looked at her and Graverobber.

"Do you guys want to know the sex?" she asked, a sly smile on her face.

"Uhm..I don't know?" Shilo said, her eyes still focused on the image of her child. Graverobber grumbled.

"Not yet...I don't even know a name," she said. Naomi nodded and flashed a smile as she handed Shilo a towel to wipe off the gel.

"Well, it's a healthy pregnancy. The baby's forming well, doesn't seem to have any visible defects or anything like that. And from the blood test I took earlier, you're doing well, too," Naomi said as she took the towel and handed Shilo a book. Shilo glanced at the title and smiled.

"Do we still have to name the kid after Tarja?" Graverobber smirked. Tarja smiled sweetly at him while her eyes flashed murder.

"Have I finished my coffee yet?" she said, her voice mimicking the sweetness of her smile.

* * *

"Is everything ready for the press conference?" Amber asked, impatiently tapping her nails on the desk. "It needs to be ready. I've got a surgery scheduled in three hours, damnit."

The man across from her rolled his eyes before answering. "Things will be ready and prepared in an hour. You'll have all the time in the world to play dress-up later, Ms. Sweet."

Amber threw a stapler at the man, narrowly missing him as he walked out. Swearing under her breath, she looked through the expected questions and her announcement, taking care to memorize the important point of the conference- she was still in control. No matter what. HRC was just too fucking late on this one.

* * *

"She's holding another press conference," Tarja said, walking into the living room and reaching for her coat. "If you guys are coming, get ready. I'm not a patient person and we've got some work to do," she said, turning to the others on the couch. Naomi and Graverobber followed suit while Shilo remained on the couch, trying not to look disheartened. She figured she'd have to stay at the house.

Graverobber tossed a jacket to her and took her hand. He grinned at her and she smiled back. She relaxed, finally happy that she wasn't being treated like a child anymore.

The walk was uneventful. Most of the people had already left to go to GeneCo, wondering what else Ms. Sweet had in store for them. GeneCops had been patrolling more often and had been growing more aggressive, sometimes going so far as to kill people who were to be Repo'd.

Yet, for Amber and GeneCo... business was 'booming'. Bodies were piled up in the streets. Blood covered the walls and the sidewalks. Yet everyone on the island turned a blind eye, terrified that they would somehow end up on the Repo list.

They reached the expansive front steps of GeneCo and blended in with the crowd, Shilo keeping close to Graverobber. He wrapped his arm around her protectively and drew her closer to him, exchanging a glance with Tarja. Tarja nodded and looked at her watch, then whispered something to Naomi. Naomi nodded and took Shilo's hand.

"Follow me, Shilo. The others have to take care of something, okay? They'll be back before the conference is over."

Shilo took a quick look at Graverobber and saw him smile at her before he left with Tarja.

"Okay, I guess."

* * *

Despite what most people thought, GeneCo. was relatively easy to break into- when you had a set of parents who used your birth date for their passcodes. Graverobber followed Tarja to Amber's office, making sure to use the neglected hallways they had played in when they were children. When they reached the door, it was locked. Graverobber looked for something to break it down before Tarja grabbed him.

"Dude. Seriously?" she said, waving her lockpick kit at him. She scoffed and within seconds, had the door unlocked. They walked in cautiously, keeping an eye out for any folders Amber would have had hidden away. Tarja noticed a stack of manila envelopes on the desk and leafed through them. They were the finances of GeneCo for the past few weeks. She grew disheartened when she noticed Amber had made the payments. She sighed as she closed the envelopes and turned to the computer. Maybe she could find something there.

Graverobber glanced through Amber's planner, waiting for Tarja do finish what she needed to do. He stopped suddenly, his eyes focused on today's date. Amber had a surgery scheduled.

His fingers tapped the page, thinking over the situation. He noticed Tarja typing on the computer and put the planner down. Tarja was in her own world with her own plan right now. He could complete his own.

He made sure to lock the doors to keep Tarja safe. He'd be back before anything happened to her, but with this 'brave new world', safety was necessary. Better safe than sorry, after all.

He walked through the halls, slipping in and out through the doors. He found Amber's private surgery room. It was prepped...and unattended.

Amber was never going to learn. Never. Not if she kept repeating her mistakes.

He entered the room and looked at the drugs laid out of her, the scalpels and sutures.

Graverobber walked over to the cabinets and began to search through them. He knew what drugs and medicine could cause what, especially if mixed with certain things.

This was the only way he knew how to break Amber.


	25. I'll Bruise You and Break You

**Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait. I've been dealing with waaayyyy too many things going on in my life at once and it's tiring. My life's hit a very low point and a very unstable one at that. It's taking me a while to reconcile all that's happening. **

* * *

He entered the room as a shadow, away from the waiting stretcher. Vials and bottles lined the shelves of the room, the fluorescent lights nearly blinding him. His cerulean eyes adjusted and scanned the room again. It seemed everything was prepped for Amber's surgery after her press conference. Syringes, scalpels, gauze, and clamps were lined neatly together, along a manila envelope. Most likely Amber's new look.

He looked through the pictures and notes, still trying to figure out what he would do. He had to stop her from spreading lies and her agenda from continuing- that much was given. But that was long-term. That was in the works. He needed to do something more immediate.

He turned his head back towards the table with the surgical supplies and vials. A small plan formed in his mind. He smiled evilly.

* * *

Shilo kept close to Naomi, nervous with so many people near her. She blamed it on the hormones, silently hoping she wasn't going to turn into the wilting violet she once was. Naomi wrapped a friendly arm around her, keeping her close.

Shilo couldn't help but to look at all the people who were there. The upper class of the island, along with the press, was closest to the front, behind a barricade of bodyguards. Everyone else- Z addicts, sick people, and families fathered behind, a sense of dread over what news Amber would bring.

It was almost ludicrous, in a way- how Amber was able to keep an entire populace enthralled and blind to the reality of what was going on. Amber was a master magician, it seemed. To everyone.

The sounds of the crowd died down gradually as Amber walked through the large doors to the stage. Cameras went off, but all was silent.

amber smiled gracefully, her eyes flashing to different cameras before she spoke.

"Good afternoon, everyone! Now, I understand having two press conferences in such a short span of time is rather unorthodox, especially from an institution such as GeneCo. But I prefer to have the public know sooner rather than later."

"As of late, I realize the policies on the island regarding repossessions seem rather unfair. And I understand your frustration, I do. But it was written in all agreements that payments were subject to inflation- just like everything else. This is simply because of the economy, nothing more. I can only assure you when our economy stabilizes, the inflation payments regarding the repos will be lowered. As I've said, it depends solely on the economy."

Reporters began to yell out questions to Amber as camera flashed brightly. Behind the reporters, the residents of the island began to dissipate, silent tears streaming down their cheeks.

Shilo looked up to Naomi and saw a fury in her eyes. A vein in her temple pulsed as the older woman bit her lip.

"Damn you, Amber."

* * *

Tarja tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for the files she had selected to transfer to the USB drive she'd brought with her. She had spent so long sitting in Amber's office, she began to understand Amber a little bit more. She could never let go of the past. Once a wrong was done to her, she carried it with her on her shoulders. For Christ's sake- the woman had her parents entombed in the next room.

But there is always a line you don't cross- and Amber had crossed one too many. All for what? Revenge? Power? Justice?

Tarja shook her head and moved to take out the drive, the files finally finished downloading. Within moments, Graverobber appeared in the door, running to Tarja.

"We gotta go. Now," he said, grabbing her wrist. Tarja made no protest as she heard dwindling silence from outside, signaling the end of the conference.

"Did you do what you need to do?" she asked, following him out the back entrance.

"You could say that."

He led her away to a waiting Shilo and Naomi.

* * *

"Shilo, we're not going to go back to Tarja's right now," Graverobber said, leading her away from Naomi and Tarja.

"Oh?" Shilo asked, shooting him an innocent look.

"Not for...a couple of hours, at the very least," he said, smirking at her and drawing her close.

She leaned against him, feeling safe in his arms.

Graverobber led her swiftly through the back streets, keeping them hidden from the other people.

"What were you and Tarja doing?" Shilo asked.

"Just getting some things together. Trying to stay a step ahead of Amber," he said in a simple tone, figuring it would be best for now if Shilo didn't know what he'd done.

"For HRC?"

"Yeah."

"But I thought that Amber had managed to buy more time," Shilo said, looking him in the face.

"Not enough. She managed to buy a month- we know that. Even with the extra income and business, they're suspicious. They're sending out a team soon."

"Wow...how soon?"

"Not soon enough, sadly."

They walked in silence for a while before he led her down a familiar street. Within moments, they were standing in front of her house.

* * *

**A/N: Short chapter, I know. But like I said, a lot's been going on. But you guys deserve it!**


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